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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116414">run away from all your curses (just come home)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobaisbest/pseuds/bobaisbest'>bobaisbest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:35:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,409</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobaisbest/pseuds/bobaisbest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>this semester, donghyuck wants to:<br/>-pass his classes<br/>-learn new spells<br/>-discover his life’s true destiny</p><p>too bad for him, the universe has other plans</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>142</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. the sky broke apart and you appeared</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>DROPPED FROM THE HEAVENS, THEY CALLED ME A DREAMER</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Donghyuck has been feeling hot lately, and not in a good way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>turn up the AC?” he begs.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taeyong hisses. “Do you have any idea how much the electricity bill is for this huge house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on!” Donghyuck whines. He follows Taeyong through the shelves of their home library (it’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> big house). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop stalking me. Don’t you have better things to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong clicks his tongue as he stops at the potions section, running his finger along the book spines before locating what he was looking for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aha!” he says quietly, plucking out the tome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just turn down the temperature by a couple degrees,” Donghyuck insists. “Like, ten degrees. That would suffice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong turns to his apprentice with a sigh. “It’s still summer,” he says. “How are you going to survive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The summer is fine,” Donghyuck mutters. “You know I love summer. But I’m feeling hot right </span>
  <em>
    <span>now.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong crinkles his brow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are the rest of the boys?” he asks. “Why aren’t you with them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re in the tower cove. But it got really hot up there, so I left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck fidgets with his hands and Taeyong sighs again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you feeling alright?” He places a palm on Donghyuck’s forehead and frowns. It feels completely normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel just fine,” Donghyuck replies. “Except that I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure it’s not hot flashes? It’s pretty sunny out today—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong, I’m a teenage witch. I’m not going through menopause. It’s not hot flashes, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Taeyong says dubiously, wishing that Taeil had never moved out. He was always better at dealing with Donghyuck. “Why don’t you go lay down in the basement for a bit? It’s cooler down there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The </span>
  <em>
    <span>basement?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Donghyuck scoffs. “The floor down there is concrete. There’s nowhere to sit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure there is!” Taeyong persists. “I put down a magic carpet last week. Just don’t call out its name, or the whole house will start floating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s got a name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong shakes his head. He’s had Donghyuck under his wing for too long to fall for that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, I’m not telling you its name. Just go and lay down. Let me know if you still feel weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Donghyuck huffs, already turning to leave. “I’ll go, but I won’t like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong rolls his eyes. “Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no windows down there!” Donghyuck calls out, halfway down the shelves already. “And you know I hate the dark!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Taeyong sighs. “I know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Donghyuck was born, every sunflower on the planet had bloomed. Their fiery petals glowed fierce in the light and in that moment, something in the world had changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck’s mother, in the rare times he gets to see her, likes to reminisce about that day. Summer was fading with the autumnal equinox upon them and </span>
  <em>
    <span>I knew, </span>
  </em>
  <span>his mother would say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I knew you were coming. I felt the sunlight growing inside of me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not everyday that a child was born in the likeness of the Sun. In fact, such an occurrence is so rare that the entire witching community had been thrown into chaos the moment news broke of Donghyuck’s birth. After all, Moon Taeil had come into the world just five years earlier. Sky spirits come around once a millennia and to have Sun and Moon incarnates exist at the same time— it had never happened before. Not once in all of magical recorded history.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone assumed, and still assumes, that it happened for a reason. The Universe doesn’t do things just because she feels like it (although there are several ancient texts which attribute some of the stranger phenomenon to impulses that she was susceptible to in her younger eons). At an early age, Donghyuck was passed to the Lee Coven where he was raised closely with Taeil. They treated them like brothers for the sole reason that it would be easier for them to work together if they ever had to, like, save the world or something. It honestly sounds like the plot of a Disney Channel original movie, which is cool and all but it kind of seems like the type of feature that would completely flop on TV.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Donghyuck was eight, he learned to cast his first spell and ever since then, he’s been waiting to “save the world”. The problem here is that the world didn’t need saving. Sure, world hunger still existed and some devastating hurricanes were released thanks to a couple of vengeful ocean nymphs, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Predicted apocalypse dates came and went with not a single plague, not even a tiny famine. Especially memorable was the 2012 Mayan calendar doomsday, which was extremely inaccurate (according to Taeyong) but also extremely popularized, so much that Donghyuck and Jeno had ate that shit up completely and huddled themselves in a pillow fort, waiting for midnight to strike and honestly expecting their eyes to melt and for frogs to rain from the sky. Neither of those things happened and all they got the next day was Taeyong yelling about dirty blankets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But nonetheless, it’s been made clear time and time again— Donghyuck was put on this Earth for a purpose. What that purpose is, no one has no fucking clue. But Donghyuck is starting to think that it’s probably a lot less serious than what everyone else believes. And here’s why:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prophesied sky spirits typically peak by age twenty. They’ll slay whatever monster they have to at an unripe young age before dying a horrible but heroic death. And if they didn’t die, then they would waste the rest of their years tormented by the trauma. This used to be something Donghyuck was extremely concerned about (he couldn’t afford to be a deadbeat witch, not in this economy), but now— not so much. Now, Taeil is well into his twenties, Donghyuck is a sophomore in college, and not a single threat to mankind has ever arisen in the time that they’ve been alive. If something bad was supposed to happen, then it would’ve happened already. Which means something else that’s not bad, but maybe also not good, is supposed to happen. He just doesn’t know what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes, Donghyuck wants to think that this whole thing is a scam. Someone had lied, had read something wrong, and it turns out that he isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Sun witch and he doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to figure out his purpose. All of this would become an unnecessary burden that he’d be more than happy to take off his shoulders. But then Donghyuck will look up at the sky, dawn breaking through the clouds as he feels the sunlight run through his veins, deep in the caverns of his heart, and he knows. He knows, just like his mother did, that this is not a lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is Donghyuck’s life and he’s long since accepted it for what it is. He just wishes that the Universe could hurry up and help him figure some things out.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Contrary to popular belief, the Universe is not one all-knowing person. Well, she is, but it’s not like she pulls off everything by herself. Just because she’s all-knowing doesn’t mean she’s all-doing as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What she does have is a whole company, equipped with a large staff of celestial beings who work together to keep the cosmos in natural order. If there were individuals who no longer wished to perform, they could take it up with HR (Heavenly Resources) and a replacement would be settled immediately. Everyone just does their job, no one has a clue about how it’s managed, and somehow, it all just works.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung himself has stayed in the Department of Moral Affairs for the last eight hundred years or so. This is ironic because his job requires him to travel down to Earth quite often, which is a place he doesn’t exactly despise but would rather avoid if he can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again?” he groans, skeptically eyeing the files that Yerim just dropped on his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung,” she says. “You are literally in charge of managing humans. Who live on Earth. Why do you hate going down there so much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t hate it,” Doyoung confesses, fiddling with the pens on his desk. “There’s just something about the mortal realm that clings onto you. Like it doesn’t want you to leave.” There’s also another reason, but he’d rather not say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Careful there,” Yerim warns. “I don’t think the department can afford to lose another one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Doyoung sighs. “This paperwork has been just awful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The paperwork </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> been awful— especially lately, ever since Youngho decided to Fall. Now their department is down one and Doyoung has been saddled with Mark, Youngho’s precious little neophyte who used to follow Youngho everywhere and regard him like he hung the moon in the sky, which is hilarious because Youngho didn’t even create the Earth’s moon. Joohyun did, along with every other moon in the solar system.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, let me know when you’re finished with these,” Yerim continues. “Because we’d love to have you over in Cosmic Admin. Seulgi said you’d be great with nebulas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Doyoung ponders. “That would actually be lovely, actually. If she’s still willing to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely,” Yerim replies. “She practically has it drafted already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just last decade, Seulgi had agreed to write Doyoung a recommendation if he ever wished for a promotion. And it looks like she’s more than happy to make good on her promise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Doyoung smiles softly. “That would be wonderful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yerim leaves with a wave and Doyoung stares at his growing pile of work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hopes this will be his last trip to Earth for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten loves coming to Earth. He loves the weather, he loves the food, and most of all, he loves the humans. So it’s really such a shame that they don’t send him here more often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it,” Sicheng says, picking at the soggy lettuce of his sandwich. “Traffic on the astral highway is a bitch, humans are dumb, the food here </span>
  <em>
    <span>sucks—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true!” Ten defends. “Earth has cheese.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng snorts. “Sure, but demons are lactose intolerant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Ten acknowledges. He pops a cheese curd into his mouth. “So sad, isn’t it? I’ll have to extrude this later. Can we visit Yuta? Bathrooms in the ninth circle are so much better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng simply nods, which is answer enough. Of course he wants to go see his boyfriend. For demons, those two have always been quite weird and clingy. It’s something Ten doesn’t really want to think about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, going Tempting with Sicheng just isn’t as fun anymore. They used to really paint the town red, engaging and encouraging any sort of debauchery that they could find. But now that Sicheng is cuffed, he’s less inclined to take part in that sort of behavior.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coming to Earth used to mean concerts and bars and stripclubs. Now, Sicheng just wants to visit bakeries and tempt sorority girls into breaking their keto diets with buttercream cupcakes. Sure, it’s still a form of seduction, but Ten feels like he’s missing out all the fun. And there’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of fun to be had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods,” Ten exclaims while scrolling Twitter. “Did you know that humans eat ass now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally,” Sicheng rolls his eyes. “We’ve been doing that for centuries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten pouts in response. Twenty years ago, Sicheng would’ve been over the moon to hear something like that. It’s like having a boyfriend just sucked out all of the fun from him. Or maybe having a boyfriend was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> fun that everything else just paled in comparison. He supposes that’s why Jaehyun had willingly passed up a promotion, because it meant he could keep coming to Earth to see a certain </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ten should honestly just get a beau of his own and— hold the phone. That’s actually not a bad idea. He might actually be onto something here...   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, are you ready for the check?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten lifts his head and looks into the eyes of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm,” he says intelligently. If Ten was human, his complexion would surely have turned purple by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we would like our checks,” Sicheng cuts in. “And I’d like a box for this sandwich too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The beautiful man nods. His name tag reads </span>
  <em>
    <span>Johnny.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he walks away, those long legs of his filling out the waiter’s uniform deliciously as Ten’s eyes trail up his body, past his muscular arms and luscious brown hair and, oh Lucifer, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>face—</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten,” Sicheng interrupts. “What’s going on in your head?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want him,” Ten answers. “I want him </span>
  <em>
    <span>really bad.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng shoots him a dubious look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So have him,” he says. “He’s just a guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Ten says, shaking his head. “Normal humans don’t look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not even fae look like that, and let me tell you, the ones I’ve met are downright ethereal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a demon,” Sicheng states. “What more could you need for a seduction other than your own body?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can think of one thing.” Ten unlocks his phone and starts scrolling through his contacts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng raises a brow. “Who are you calling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who else?” Ten replies, grinning as he shoots off a text. “Just our good friend, Head Administrator of the First Circle, Officer Jung Jaehyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what is it exactly that you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten smiles ferally, his sharp canines catching the sunlight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jaehyun exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want Forbidden Fruit,” Ten repeats. “Is that really so hard to understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jaehyun frowns. “You hate fruit. Plus, I heard it doesn’t even taste that good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You idiot, it’s not for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ten clarifies. “I’m trying to Tempt someone, but they don’t look easy at all so I think I’m going to have to bring out the big guns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know…” Jaehyun says, hesitation flickering across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please!” Ten insists. “You’re the one who’s on Earth the most, you can find the Garden of Eden </span>
  <em>
    <span>easily.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun takes a moment to consider. “Alright, let’s say that, for some reason, my brain malfunctions and I happen to agree to this. What’s in it for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten dramatically places a hand over his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, Jaehyun. You wouldn’t just do something nice for me from the bottom of your heart?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Demons don’t have hearts,” Jaehyun deadpans. “Spit it out. What do I get?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Ten huffs. “If you help me find Eden, then I won’t tell anyone about your little—”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jaehyun says, shoving his palm over Ten’s mouth. “Not here. The angels have ears everywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten plucks Jaehyun’s wrist away from his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he agrees. “So do we have a deal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he mutters. “I guess we do.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong paces in his study, shoes clicking on the floor as he walks back and forth. He uncrosses his arms, leans on his cherrywood desk, and thinks for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck said that he felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Such a thing is honestly typical and would normally not be alarming at all. The kid’s practically a walking firecracker. For a good two years, sunlight would shine when he opened his palms. Solar flares raged when he became upset. On his happy days, the Sahara desert had reached record high temperatures. Life before Donghyuck had learned to control his powers was abysmal. Taeyong woke up every morning fearing that the apocalypse had descended upon them, caused no doubt by his own apprentice. Things had just been so hard, because there was no one who knew enough to really help. Taeyong had done things on the fly, raising and teaching Donghyuck everything he knew with the help of Taeil. And he’d like to say that the hard work paid off because here they are, years later, with an educated Donghyuck and no sign of impending doom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So no, it would normally not be strange at all for Donghyuck to say that he felt hot. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Taeyong thinks, tapping his fingers on the desk, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it feels different this time. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Something was off, though he couldn’t say what. That’s all it was, though— a feeling— and Taeyong did everything based on feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So close, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Taeyong thinks. They are so close he can almost taste the finish line. Donghyuck is nearly twenty and Taeyong needs to hold out for just a little longer. This would all be over by the time his birthday came. It had to be, with the way things have been going the last few years. The last few </span>
  <em>
    <span>centuries.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And Taeyong has to be careful, especially when things are nearing the end so soon. He’s always been careful— it’s not Taeyong if he’s not careful. But circumstances are delicate now, almost fragile, and he needs to go about this in a very particular way—</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Knock! Knock!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong jumps in alarm, startled by the noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” he says, feeling his heart catch up with his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opens just a crack. It’s Jisung, innocent face and worn-out grimoire held in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, do you have time?” he asks. “I need help with chapter seven and Jaemin is not being very helpful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong lifts off his desk and walks to the door, opening it wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” he says. “Of course I have time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But it’ll soon run out, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thinks to himself.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cafe is moderately busy so Doyoung purposely chooses an outdoor seat quite far away from the rest. He sits there pathetically, idling scrolling through his phone because </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> decided to be late—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss me?” Jaehyun winks, materializing out of thin air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung pulls out a neon green water gun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Begone, thot!” he hisses, pulling the trigger. A stream of water hits Jaehyun’s face and starts sizzling upon contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Jaehyun cries, wiping the liquid off. “Holy water? Are you fucking serious?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dead serious,” Doyoung says. “There’s enough in here to burn your whole face off. Why are you late?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be like this,” Jaehyun whines. “Look, I brought you coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slides a cafe latte onto the table, intricate leaf patterns drawn on the surface with fine milk foam. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s beautiful, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Doyoung thinks. He begrudgingly takes a sip. It’s also delicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I’m late,” Jaehyun says. “Please don’t shoot me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Doyoung says, pocketing his gun. “Sit down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun does so immediately, settling comfortably and opening his mouth to speak, but being interrupted before he can do so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” Doyoung asks, an accusatory tone bleeding into his voice (but that’s just how Doyoung is.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you think I want something?” Jaehyun pouts. “You don’t think I just wanted to get coffee with a friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung narrows his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not friends,” he says. “You’re a </span>
  <em>
    <span>demon.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Jaehyun agrees. “But that hasn’t stopped you from tolerating me since the fifteenth century. If you really hated me, you would’ve smoked me out eons ago. Demons like me are a dime a dozen, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung scowls at the implication that he could possibly tolerate Jaehyun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” he says. “You know I’m busy. I don’t have time for, you know—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem stressed,” Jaehyun observes. “What do they have you doing this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung looks at him dubiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” Jaehyun goads, tapping his fingers on the white tablecloth. “Just tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung rolls his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” he snaps. “They want me to look for Youngho.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun stiffens. “Youngho? The one who Fell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Doyoung confirms, taking another sip of coffee before continuing. “I don’t know how they expect me to do this. I know I’m an angel and all, but so was Youngho. It’s going to be very hard to find him if he doesn’t want to be found.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what’s the hurry?” Jaehyun asks. “You always take your time with assignments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad you asked,” Doyoung says, a wry look on his face. “I’m leaving after this one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun’s expression drops. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m leaving my department,” Doyoung clarifies. “After this is all over, I’m going to ask for a promotion. If all goes well, you won’t be seeing me on Earth after this. Find someone else to have coffee with, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung would like to say he has no remorse for leaving Jaehyun alone, but he honestly feels a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> bit bad. After all, living on Earth as an immortal for decades at a time can get lonely. And sometimes, it helped to have someone around, even if that person was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>demon. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Plus, Jaehyun has always been quite nice for a demon, helping him out if he needed it and never purposely getting in his way </span>
  <em>
    <span>(that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thinks in displeasure, </span>
  <em>
    <span>would be Yuta).</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun’s expression looks tapered off now, shock mixed with something strangely indecipherable, which bothers Doyoung because he has always been able to read Jaehyun like an open children’s book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun’s gaze flickers down, then back up at Doyoung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I can help you,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jaehyun says agreeably. “One last time, for old time’s sake, you know? But you’ll have to help me with something too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Doyoung groans. Nothing comes without a price. “What do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m looking for Eden. Need to get my hands on some Forbidden Fruit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung frowns into his coffee. “I don’t know where Eden is. The Fae have it now, so I can’t really help you there. Maybe Jungwoo might know something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then have someone go talk to Jungwoo,” Jaehyun concludes. “You got any minions you can boss around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung nods in response. “I do. He’s kind of young but, eh— he’ll suffice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect,” Jaehyun says. “You’ll make your intern or whatever find Eden for me, and I’ll help you find Youngho. Deal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung thinks for a moment. It was a pretty good deal, considering that he could just make Mark do all the dirty work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he concedes. “It’s a deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun smiles brightly from across the table. “Pleasure doing business with you, as usual”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please do not imply that this is a regular thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why are we having coffee right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a relationship of convenience.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re in a relationship now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung puts down his mug and folds his napkin on top of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m done with this conversation,” he says.</span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun’s help aside, it is quite unfortunate that Doyoung has to be back on Earth. But he must look at the bright side of things. At least he gets to visit his shop, right? Angels by nature do not maintain physical possessions, but that doesn’t change the fact that it made assignments on Earth a lot easier when Doyoung had a home base to return to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the years, Doyoung’s shop has taken many forms. It started out as a midcentury library, which Doyoung converted from an abandoned warehouse that used to manufacture soap. In the nineties, it became a bookstore which catered exclusively to lesbians. And now, it’s an antique shop. But one of those cool ones that Instagram influencers liked to frequent so they could spend hundreds of dollars on a unique but completely beat up centerpiece for their new room tour or whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, the public exposure has made them quite famous, so much that Doyoung has tried repeatedly to make his store less appealing so fewer humans would come in because it’s not like he has time to handle all these customers. Being an angel is already a full-time job and Doyoung doesn’t really want to spend his downtime helping Stacey from Santa Monica find a rustic copper frame mirror to take her next Twitter selfie in. He keeps the lights dim and has deliberately left the store so dusty that any normal human would find themselves in immediate need of an antihistamine upon entering. He has also stocked the shelves full of absolute garbage, like creepy sets of dolls from eBay or pieces of plank wood he’s fished out from alleyways behind various Taco Bells (Doyoung’s job takes him a lot of different places alright? It’s not like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>chooses </span>
  </em>
  <span>to frequent them).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, the popularity of his antique shop just grows and grows. It seems like the darkness and dustiness only adds to customers’ intrigue of the mysterious place and people, for some reason, seem to </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>the store’s selection of straight dumpster trash. Doyoung has done his best to avoid any public record of the place and has even gone as far as to ban customers from taking any photos or videos of the store’s interior. But word of mouth among humans continues to be one of the world’s most powerful forces and Doyoung eventually finds himself in need of some help. More specifically, some employees. This is where Jungwoo comes in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo is a dreamwalker who Doyoung met while nightmare-hopping during an investigation of late night terrorizings (turns out it was just Jaehyun trying to get off the astral highway, so that case had been closed relatively quick). Jungwoo had been skittish back then, like he understood that he had stumbled upon someone else’s phantasm but didn’t have the knowledge or sense to leave. Dreamwalkers are rare, almost as rare as sky witches, so it made sense that no one had taught him how to control his abilities because there was no one in the world who </span>
  <em>
    <span>could.</span>
  </em>
  <span> At least, no one who was mortal. The decision to approach him had been easy because if there’s one thing that Doyoung had picked up while hanging around humans so much, it was curiosity (and also, as Jaehyun likes to smugly point out— compassion, though the jury is still out for that one). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo turned around and started screaming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Doyoung spluttered, before realizing he was still in his true form. “Oh— sorry, let me just—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tucked in his six wings and dimmed the blinding halo around his head. Then he slowly siphoned away his celestial presence until all that remained was the appearance of a human, with ink-black hair and wire-frame glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There, is that better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo, still slightly shaken, nodded in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, much better. Are you an angel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung almost laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What I truly am is probably beyond your comprehension,” he said. “But yes, you could call me an angel. Do you read the Bible much, Jungwoo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I’m not even a little surprised that you already know my name,” Jungwoo replied. “No, I have not read the Bible. Like, at all. But I do pick up a lot of things, here and there. It’s kind of hard not to when I’m transported all over the world every time I close my eyes to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo told him this with a slight tinge of frustration, maybe bitterness, in his tone. What Doyoung said next, he’d often like to contribute to a lapse of judgement. This is entirely a moot point because angels do not experience lapses of judgement, it’s just not something that they are physically capable of. What they are apparently capable of, however (and Doyoung can practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jaehyun smirking), is compassion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an offer to make,” he told Jungwoo. “Are you ready to listen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Jungwoo, who had walked through a million dreams and seen many things which he wished he did not, looked at Doyoung and realized that this was an opportunity he would not experience again for many more lifetimes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said. “I am listening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door to the shop rings as it opens. Jungwoo stands at attention, because the bells only ring for the presence of angels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung,” he says, greeting his mentor. “And…” he trails off, looking at the boy behind Doyoung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Mark,” Doyoung introduces. “He’s doing me a favor, so help him out, will you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Jungwoo says, turning to Doyoung just to find that he’s already disappeared. Apparated away in a matter of seconds. Typical. “Ah, he probably went to see Jaehyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaehyun?” Mark asks, looking a bit like a bewildered puppy. “Who is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t matter,” Jungwoo says. “Doyoung will probably be out and about, so you can take the bedroom upstairs. What is it that you needed to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to find Eden?” Mark says, as if he’s not sure of it himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo raises an eyebrow. “Like, the Garden of Eden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Mark confirms. “Do you know anything about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Jungwoo snorts. “I didn’t even know it existed until two seconds ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Mark says, looking so despondent that Jungwoo feels kind of bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s back up here,” Jungwoo says. “You got any clues? Any leads that you could use? Doyoung couldn’t have just left you here with nothing, right?” Although, now that Jungwoo thinks about it, that sounds like exactly something Doyoung would do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something lights up in Mark’s eyes. God, this kid is cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said I should probably get in touch with some fae? Do you know anything about that? I’m not too sure because, well— I don’t come to Earth very often…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I can see that,” Jungwoo laughs. “And praise your lucky stars. Fae are good at hiding but witches? Not so much. There’s a couple at my school and I think they might know how to find some fae. Are you interested in meeting them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark nods his head. “Yes, I would. Are they like you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly,” Jungwoo says. “They’ve got quite a bit of magic inside them, but I can safely say that they’ve never met an angel before. You’re going to have to be discreet about this. Nothing suspicious, or else Doyoung’s gonna get mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Definitely,” Mark agrees, face stricken as if he knows exactly what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Doyoung’s wrath. “What do you think is best?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Jungwoo says, gently patting Mark’s shoulders. “You look pretty young. You could pass for, what— twenty? Twenty-one? That's the perfect college age. You can pretend to be a student. It’s the perfect cover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So…” Mark says, pointing at himself. “You’re saying that I have to go to school?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that would be the path of lease suspicion,” Jungwoo replies. “I hope you’re familiar with the concept of school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> oblivious,” Mark insists. “But are you sure that I can just, like, show up?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why not? You’re an angel, right? Can’t you conjure up some fake enrollment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I can try,” Mark mutters. “When does class start again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next week,” Jungwoo smiles. “Will you be okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark’s expression grows serious. Suddenly, he doesn’t look like a lost puppy anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hello friends! here i am with the first chaptered fic i've written in awhile (: thank you for venturing into the unknown with me! i've got quite a bit planned out for this so we'll see where it goes &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. i'm not excited but should i be?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>IS THIS THE FATE THAT HALF OF THE WORLD HAS PLANNED FOR ME?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten would like to go on record by saying that this is all Sicheng’s fault. Ten has done nothing wrong, or rather, he’s done <em> all </em> the wrong things, which is exactly what demons are supposed to do. They’re supposed to come to Earth, wreak general havoc, and then go back to Hell to brag about who did the nastiest thing. Such a task is quite easy for someone like Ten, who brings chaos with him wherever he goes, but the problem here isn’t Ten. It’s Sicheng.</p><p><em> Sicheng </em> is the one who started this all because <em> Sicheng </em> is the one who suggested that they explore alternative Tempting methods. <em> Yuta likes it when I’m creative, </em> he said, which is absolute horseshit because Yuta worships the very ground Sicheng walks on and would likely fawn over anything Sicheng chooses to do. Sicheng could be taking a shit and Yuta would say <em> wow, isn’t he amazing? </em> And honestly, it’s fine. Like, love who you love, or whatever. But don’t try to drag your co-workers into this mess too.</p><p>Ten should’ve just said no. There’s (surprisingly) a million rules demons should abide by and sticking with Sicheng isn’t one of them. He should’ve just gone out and done his own thing. The semester is starting soon and the local university would be absolutely <em> packed </em> with kids ready to get drunk again. An absolute haven for someone like Ten, and also the complete opposite of whatever “creative” scheme Sicheng has going on now. And, look— Ten just wanted to help a friend out!</p><p>The scheme in question is not as malicious as it is absolutely boring. Expensive rent is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sins that send you straight to hell but apparently, it’s got good payoff. All Ten had to do was pick the lock and Sicheng floated into the office, whispering Greed into the landlord’s ear until he finally decided to increase the rent.</p><p>The effect is almost instantaneous. People were immediately upset and several had already marched their way to the office, demanding to move out. The negativity is steadily increasing and it’s exactly the kind of chaos that demons thrive in (although not the kind that Ten prefers). All in all, it’s a productive but uninteresting day and Ten would have loved to go straight home and take a nap if it wasn’t for the fact that Sicheng asked him to <em> stay and watch over things, make sure they don’t kill each other, okay? </em></p><p>“Are you serious?” Ten asked. “What’s wrong if they kill each other?”</p><p>“It’s good that there’s Rage but I don’t have a manslaughter license,” Sicheng frowns. “They’ll suspend me if someone dies.”</p><p>It’s true. HQ would raise hell (haha) if they caused murder without the proper paperwork.</p><p>“Well, doesn’t Yuta have one?” Ten said. “Just use his.”</p><p><em> “No, </em>that’s even worse,” Sicheng hissed. “Look, I have to go. Just stay here for a bit, alright?”</p><p>“Fine,” Ten snapped.</p><p>That was an hour ago. Ten is now reclined in a waiting room armchair, sunglasses on while flipping through the same gossip magazine for what must be the fifth time. It feels a little too much like he’s reading shampoo bottle labels while taking a shit. To the background music of a landlord trying to fight off his angry tenants, Ten turns the page and carefully rereads an article about butt implants.</p><p>“Eat shit, bitch!” a lady yells before throwing her purse across the room.</p><p>“Okay,” Ten mutters. “Time to leave.”</p><p>He tosses the magazine aside and heads for the exit. Once he’s squeezed past the numerous angry people in the hallway, he throws open the door. Unfortunately, there is a tall man right behind the door and Ten runs straight into him, clumsily tripping over his own feet.</p><p>What happens next is, to put it lightly, extremely cinematic. A meet-cute, if you will. If Ten looks back, he can envision it in slow motion, the way the light hit his face, dust floating in the air as he nearly fell backward. The keyword being <em> nearly </em> because the man catches him just in time, a strong arm hooked over his waist saving him from kissing the concrete pavement.</p><p>“Hey,” Johnny says. “You alright there?”</p><p>Ten is shocked for a moment. If he had a heart, it would’ve knocked straight out of his chest.</p><p>“Yes,” he replies, untangling himself from Johnny’s (very strong) arms. He takes his sunglasses off for a quick once-over and suddenly remembers that he’s not really supposed to know this guy’s name. “Thank you, um—” he feigns.</p><p>Johnny smiles in response. “I’m Johnny,” he says. “And you’re Ten, right? From the restaurant? Sorry, I’m not trying to be creepy. I just remember seeing your name on the credit card.”</p><p>“Oh,” Ten says, pleasantly surprised. If Johnny bothered to remember his name then that’s surely <em> something, </em>right?</p><p>“Are you okay?” Johnny asks, wonderfully concerned for Ten’s wellbeing.</p><p>“I’m perfect. Never been better.” The statement is brutally honest.</p><p>“That’s good,” Johnny says. “I wish I could say the same. I’m guessing you’re here about the rent increase?”</p><p>“What?” Ten says, much too distracted by Johnny’s hair (it looks <em> so </em> sexy pushed back).</p><p>“The rent increase?” Johnny asks again.</p><p>Ten blinks. “Oh, that. Yeah, it sucks, right?”</p><p>“Totally,” Johnny agrees. “I don’t think I can afford to live here anymore. I might need to get a roommate.”</p><p>A lightbulb goes off in Ten’s head.</p><p>“A roommate?”</p><p>“Yeah, I need a roommate,” Johnny replies, shrugging those big shoulders. God, does this man not know how <em> hot </em> he is?</p><p>“Do you have anyone in mind?” Ten asks, the cogs in his brain turning faster than they ever have before.</p><p>“No,” Johnny says, frowning so cutely it’s almost a pout. “I’m kind of new here, so I don’t know too many people.”</p><p>Ten weighs his options. In the back of his mind, a voice which sounds suspiciously like Sicheng says <em> you’re going to regret this. </em> Another voice that sounds like Jaehyun says <em> go get that dick! </em> Ten makes the obvious choice.</p><p>“I think you’re in luck,” he says, smiling sweetly at his soon-to-be prey. “Because I need a roommate too.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s perfect!” Johnny says, his smile bright enough to light up the whole city.</p><p>Ten smiles back, equally bright. It looks like today will be rewarding after all. He can only hope that Jaehyun is holding up his end of the deal.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Jaehyun is a demon and demons are resourceful. This is what Jaehyun tells himself as he looks in the mirror, water dripping down his face as if he’s just come out of a Clean &amp; Clear commercial. In reality, it’s not just his face that is wet but also his entire body. Jaehyun has just returned from wrestling Satan’s pet leviathan back to hell after it had somehow escaped into the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing too bad, just a Category 2 hurricane running through Florida. They really need a tighter leash on that thing.</p><p>As much as Jaehyun would like to knock out and sleep for a year, he still has to see Doyoung in less than an hour. He’d normally just snap himself clean but Doyoung, who doesn’t like the smell of demon magic, would be able to tell immediately. <em> You smell like smoke and sin, </em> he would say with a cutely wrinkled nose. <em> Please stand further away from me. </em></p><p>Jaehyun doesn’t like being too far from Doyoung. That was kind of the whole point of getting involved with his Youngho business. <em> But, </em> he realized, <em> I did get myself into this mess. </em></p><p>He takes off his wet clothes, steps into the shower, and proceeds to do all the normal things humans do to get clean. <em> I am a demon, </em>he thinks, repeating the mantra in his head as he lathers soap onto a loofah. Around him, the bathroom fills with humidity and the faint scent of the Cucumber Melon shower gel he likes to use.</p><p>
  <em> I am a demon. I am resourceful. I can figure this out. </em>
</p><p>-</p><p>Jaehyun can’t figure this out.</p><p>To be honest, Jaehyun has no idea how to find Youngho nor does he particularly care. Well, he kind of cares. The only reason Jaehyun had offered his help was so he could spend more time with Doyoung. And in the grand scheme of things, Jaehyun is actually quite useless because the only angel he’s ever been good at finding is Doyoung.</p><p>“Hello,” Jaehyun greets, apparating into Doyoung’s shop like he’s probably done a thousand times by now.</p><p>“Hey,” Jungwoo says, not even looking up from the book he’s reading. “Doyoung should be here soon.”</p><p>“Alright, cool.” Jaehyun peers around the shelves as if they’ve changed at all since the last time he was here like, two days ago. </p><p>“Um, how are you?” he asks awkwardly. “How’s school? You’re in school, right?”</p><p>Jungwoo looks up from his book.</p><p>“Yes, I am in school. If you have a question about Doyoung, I suggest you ask it now before I lose my place in this chapter and decide to stop talking to you altogether.”</p><p>“Oh— um, alright,” Jaehyun says, frantically searching for the right questions. Jungwoo, sweet sweet Jungwoo, is becoming more and more like Doyoung everyday and it’s honestly keeping him on edge. “Do you know anything about, uh— hmm, how do I word this...”</p><p>Jungwoo closes his book and puts it down on the table.</p><p>“Is this about his promotion?”</p><p>Jaehyun immediately sulks. He doesn’t have a heart, but it kind of feels like someone just ripped his out.</p><p>“Is it already happening?”</p><p>“Not that I know of,” Jungwoo replies. “Why? You don’t want him to go?”</p><p>Jaehyun shakes his head. “Well, do you? If he left, who would help you with your—” he makes a vague hand movement, “—you know.”</p><p>Jungwoo places a thoughtful finger on his chin.</p><p>“You’re right, it would be quite difficult to find someone to help me with my dreamwalking. But if Doyoung really wants to leave, then I won’t stop him. He’s already helped me enough. The shop will probably be closed down though, which is really such a shame.”</p><p>“But do you really think he wants to leave?” Jaehyun asks, growing increasingly distressed. “He loves this shop. Don’t you think he needs to be reminded how much he likes the rest of Earth too?”</p><p>“Sure, but that’s kind of above my paygrade. I’ve got school and stuff.” Jungwoo looks at Jaehyun for a moment. “Aren’t you helping him with his latest assignment? Can’t you— I don’t know, take him to all his favorite spots? Show him what he’ll be missing?”</p><p>To Jungwoo’s great annoyance, Jaehyun places a hand on his perfectly styled hair and ruffles it violently.</p><p>“Sweet Lucifer, Jungwoo. You’re a fucking genius.”</p><p>“You know— for a demon, you’re not very bright,” Jungwoo grumbles, trying to untangle Jaehyun’s fingers from his hair.</p><p>Jaehyun just shrugs. It’s not the first time he’s heard that. He’s what people these days would call— a himbo? Is that what it was?</p><p>“I’m not your standard temptor demon,” he says. “You have to be kind of clever for that.”</p><p>It’s true. Sicheng and Ten had to pass multiple exams just to get to where they are now while Jaehyun climbed the ranks with just his dazzling smile <em> (it’s the dimples, </em> Sicheng said, <em> those fucking dimples). </em></p><p>“I see,” Jungwoo nods.</p><p>“I’m more of a sexy secretary, you could say.”</p><p>Jungwoo looks him up and down. “Oh, yeah. You kind of give off that vibe.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Jaehyun says, extremely flattered.</p><p>Jungwoo laughs. “Well, anything to keep you on Earth, right?”</p><p>Then the shop door rings. Jungwoo straightens his back.</p><p>“What are you guys talking about?” Doyoung asks, striding in with two coffees and a newspaper tucked under his arm.</p><p>“Nothing much,” Jaehyun replies, immediately perking up. “Is that for me?”</p><p>“Yes,” Doyoung huffs, sliding an americano over the counter. “Your favorite. You got me last time, so I’m covering this one. I don’t like owing people, Jaehyun.”</p><p>“Well, thank you,” Jaehyun says, happily taking a sip and pointedly ignoring Jungwoo mouthing <em> you’re fucking whipped </em> from behind Doyoung’s shoulder.</p><p>“Jungwoo, can you archive this for me?” Doyoung asks, handing over the newspaper.</p><p>“Sure,” Jungwoo says. He straightens out the stack while reading the top. “August 2019? That’s a little over a year ago.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s around the time Youngho decided to Fall. A comet flew right by Earth, so I’m thinking that might’ve been him.” Doyoung turns to Jaehyun with a look of determination. “I think we can start from there and try to find more hints.”</p><p>“Sure! But, <em> ummm—” </em>Jaehyun looks behind Doyoung’s shoulder and confusedly watches Jungwoo make a bunch of indecipherable gestures.</p><p><em> Remember what we talked about? </em> Jungwoo mouths frustratedly.</p><p>“How about some food first?” Jaehyun asks. “Your favorite Italian place?”</p><p>“If you can get a reservation,” Doyoung snorts.</p><p>Jaehyun snaps his fingers. “Done.”</p><p>“I hate it when you do that,” Doyoung groans. “It always makes the air smell like—”</p><p>“Smoke and sin, I know,” Jaehyun finishes. “But they’ve got that wine you really like.”</p><p>“I guess,” Doyoung grumbles. “Let’s get going then. Jungwoo, I’ll see you later. Call me if Mark is dying or something.”</p><p>“Got it,” Jungwoo says, shooting a double thumbs up at his boss.</p><p>Doyoung heads for the door. The moment he turns his back, the smile disappears from Jungwoo’s face. He looks at Jaehyun and rolls his eyes.</p><p>“So fucking whipped,” he whispers.</p><p>Jaehyun just shrugs. He can’t really argue with the truth.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The tragic thing about being a witch in this modern day and age was that it was not a full-time gig. Career witches aren’t a thing anymore, which means Donghyuck still has to go to university and find a job afterwards on <em> top </em> of all the training and education he has with Taeyong. And no, this is not exactly how Donghyuck wants to live his life, but when has the Universe ever given him what he wanted?</p><p>And not only that, but he’s turning <em> twenty </em> soon. According to Taeyong, this is supposed to be special or something. This is supposed to be the year he’s finally let off the hook about all that destiny bullshit. He’ll just have to survive until his birthday and then the Universe would let him go scot free. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. No one’s tried to kill him for the last nineteen years, so they probably won’t start now. And even if they did, Donghyuck has the entire coven on his side. No one in their right mind would cross Taeyong and Taeil at the <em> same </em> time. The prospect of having such a burden lifted from him seems like a dream. There’s nothing that Donghyuck looks forward to more than this.</p><p>The thought puts a spring in his step as he walks to campus, ignoring the fact that he’s still feeling kind of hot. Laying down in the basement didn’t really help at all but Donghyuck is honestly more preoccupied with anticipation for his first class of the day. It’s Advanced Macroeconomics, which means none of his friends will be there since Renjun’s an art major and the rest of them are pre-med. Like, didn’t any of them have enough sense to be a business major like Donghyuck? The only way to take down capitalism is to start from the inside, <em> duh. </em></p><p>But it’s fine. He’ll see them at Taeil’s later. And also at botany club. It’s probably about time that Donghyuck made some non-coven friends anyways. Taeyong had predicted just as much when he gave Donghyuck a quick crystal ball reading before he left this morning, staring focused at the quartz as his scrunched eyebrows crawled higher and higher up his forehead.</p><p>“What is it?” Donghyuck asked, squinting at the crystal too. “Why do you look like that?”</p><p>He squinted harder, trying to make sense of the swirling emery. But all he saw was smoke and clouds. Not surprising, since he’s always been pretty shit at divination. Fortune telling is mostly Jeno’s strong point.</p><p>“It says you’re going to meet new people,” Taeyong frowned.</p><p>“Oh, I’m going to make new friends?” Donghyuck asked, excitement creeping into his smile.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Taeyong said, his frown growing deeper by the second. “Just new people. I don’t like this. Who could they be? Why do they want to meet you? What will they do—”</p><p>“Okay, I have to go,” Donghyuck said, grabbing his backpack.</p><p>“Be careful!” Taeyong called out as he walked out the door. “And watch out for omens!”</p><p>“Okay!” Donghyuck replied, just to give him peace of mind.</p><p>So yeah, he’s going to meet some new people. At least he has that going for him. Maybe this is the year he finally branches out and—</p><p>
  <em> Meow! </em>
</p><p>“Holy shit,” Donghyuck swears, narrowly missing a black cat on the curb of the sidewalk. Its gold-speckled green eyes seem to hold murderous intent.</p><p><em> Meeeeow </em> the cat says, clearly affronted that he almost kicked it onto the street. <em> Watch where you’re going, </em>it seems to say, bristling as it glares up at Donghyuck.</p><p>“Oh noooo, I’m sorry,” he says, bowing his head as if he’s just committed a great crime. Well, he practically has. Donghyuck squats down, level with the cat, and holds out his hand in apology.</p><p>“Forgive me?”</p><p>The cat looks at him with disinterest, seemingly unimpressed in its golden gaze.</p><p>“Don’t be like this,” Donghyuck mutters. An idea comes to him.</p><p>He centers his energy and charges it skillfully. Then his fingertips light up, sunlight dancing around as wiggles his hand.</p><p>“Look,” he says, scanning the street to make sure no one’s around to witness his little light show. “Isn’t this cool?”</p><p>The cat regards him for a moment. Then it leans forward and kisses his thumb, barbed tongue ticklish on his skin.</p><p>“Aww,” Donghyuck says, heart melting through his ribcage. Modern witches don’t take familiars anymore but maybe this one could be an exception?</p><p>The cat rubs its head against his arm, shaking its tail as it circles his legs. Suddenly, Donghyuck has a feeling. Not a premonition, like he’s read about in Taeyong’s books, or a vision, like Renjun gets everyday. Just a feeling.</p><p>It’s something funny in his chest, telling him that this is a sign. A sign of what, though? Donghyuck is not quite sure. He really should’ve paid more attention during Taeyong’s divination lectures.</p><p>As if sensing his unease, the cat meows again. It’s saying goodbye, shooting him one last look before hopping away into the alleyway nearby.</p><p>Donghyuck waves as he watches it go. Then he stays there a moment, even though it means he might be late for class. Fingers curling into his palm, he remembers what Taeyong said.</p><p>
  <em> Watch out for omens. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Mark doesn’t wanna brag or anything, but he’s kind of getting used to this whole Earth thing. Clothes are getting easier to pick out. He’s finally mastered the art of ordering delivery. This morning, he actually remembered to brush his teeth.</p><p>He kind of wants to tell someone, maybe ask for a little praise (positive reinforcement is good, right?), but Jungwoo would not be impressed at all, Doyoung is barely around, and Youngho— ah, let's not talk about Youngho.</p><p>The first day of classes comes around fast. Or maybe Mark hasn’t yet adjusted to the linear flow of time. Gosh, things here are so complicated. How do humans live? He almost wishes he was back in the heavens. But then he remembers how tedious it was to file all of Doyoung’s reports and suddenly, it’s not so bad having to learn how to tie your shoes.</p><p>In an attempt to cover as much ground as possible, Jungwoo had suggested he enroll himself in classes across every discipline. Today, he has Advanced Macroeconomics, Intro to Ice Skating, and Cognitive Psych Lab. His cover story is that he’s a transfer student trying to take as many classes as he can. His schedule feels like kind of a crapshoot, but what other choice does he have? Eden isn’t going to find itself.</p><p>There are some things that come surprisingly easy. Navigating campus, for example, is a walk in the park. So painless compared to the struggle he faced when Doyoung made him run deliveries in the cosmos. He can practically picture Sooyoung’s look of disdain when he frantically explained how he got lost at the left turn in Saturn’s fifth ring. Outer space is hard! At least they have Google Maps here.</p><p>Some things, though, don’t come easy at all. For example, he has no idea what to say when a cute boy walks into lecture, looks at the literal rows of free empty seats, and decides to sit right next to him.</p><p>“Hi,” the boy says.</p><p>“Um— hello,” Mark replies, watching the boy from the corner of his eye.</p><p>He’s golden, delicate in his eyes but full in his lips. The edges of his hair curl softly, muted brown against his skin. Mark traces the moles on his face, following Ursa Minor with his eyes. There’s magic in this boy, he can tell. Mark looks away, hoping he wasn’t too obvious. </p><p>The boy doesn’t seem to notice. He places down his bookbag, turns to face Mark, and sticks out a hand.</p><p>“My name is Donghyuck,” he says, bright and blinding.</p><p>Mark scrutinizes the hand. Is he supposed to shake it?</p><p>They stare at each other for a moment. Donghyuck’s smile wavers ever so slightly and Mark scrambles to correct it.</p><p>“Mark,” he says. “My name is Mark.”</p><p>He reaches out to shake Donghyuck’s hand. When their palms touch, there’s a lingering feeling. Not exactly electric but definitely something special. There’s an aura around him, glowing from within. <em> Sun, </em>he thinks. The boy smells like the Sun. This is not ordinary magic.</p><p>When Donghyuck pulls his hand back, he hesitates too. Like he might’ve also felt something. Mark looks at him nervously.</p><p>“Are you new here?” Donghyuck asks. “I haven’t really seen you around.”</p><p>“Oh,” Mark says, recalling the backstory he had carefully laid out with Jungwoo. “I just transferred here.”</p><p>Donghyuck narrows his eyes. “From where?”</p><p>“Canada,” Mark lies.</p><p>“That’s not too far,” Donghyuck observes. “How do you like it here so far?”</p><p>“Still getting used to it,” Mark replies truthfully.</p><p>Donghyuck nods along. “It can’t be that different, right?”</p><p>“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Mark mutters.</p><p>Donghyuck chuckles at that. His laughter is light and Mark replays the sound in his head, saving it for later. He’s never heard something like that before.</p><p>“You’re funny,” Donghyuck says. “We should study together for this class. What’s your number?”</p><p>Mark blanks. “My what?”</p><p>“Your number?” Donghyuck asks, pulling out a rectangular device from his pocket. “You know, your cell phone?”</p><p>Mark flushes.</p><p>
  <em> What the fuck is a cell phone? </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Oh, fucking <em> gross.” </em></p><p>Jaemin and Jeno jump apart, red in their faces after being caught mid-makeout in the alcove of Taeil’s front porch.</p><p>“I thought we had at least another couple minutes,” Jeno mutters.</p><p>“Well, you don’t,” Donghyuck says, duly ignoring the sight of Jaemin’s hand slipping out from under Jeno’s shirt. “Renjun’s probably waiting for us. Let’s go.”</p><p>Taeil lives on the other side of town, just far enough that it’s kind of inconvenient to visit him from the coven house. Not too far from school though, which is why they gather here on weekdays sometimes. It’s better to tell Taeyong that you’re visiting a friend rather than admit to procrastinating on his rune homework.</p><p>“Hey, Taeil. We’re here— oh, fuck.”</p><p>Donghyuck walks into the living room and comes face-to-face with Taeyong, seated at the table with Taeil and Renjun. Somewhere behind his shoulder, Donghyuck sees Jisung and Chenle through Taeil’s back window, cluelessly playing in the garden.</p><p>“You think I don’t know where you go after school?” Taeyong asks, sitting back with his arms crossed.</p><p>“Alright, who the fuck narked?” Donghyuck says. He turns to his covenmates.</p><p>“Not us,” Jaemin says, lacing his fingers with Jeno’s. “We’re just as confused as you are.”</p><p>Renjun clears his throat. “Not me. I was here first because you guys were <em> late </em> and Taeyong got me by surprise.”</p><p>“The babies, then?” Donghyuck says, looking out at Jisung and Chenle suspiciously.</p><p>The room is quiet for a bit.</p><p>“Okay, fine. It was me.” Taeil raises a guilty hand. “I told Taeyong you guys would be here.”</p><p>Donghyuck slams his hand down on the table. “Damnit, Taeil! What happened to our pinky promise?”</p><p>Taeil just shrugs. “It’s not a binding contract if the thumbs don’t kiss. Rule number one of pinky promises, Hyuck. The thumbs have to kiss.”</p><p>“Fuck! I thought the incantation was enough,” Donghyuck groans. “How could you do this to me?”</p><p>‘Oh, please,” Taeyong says. “As if I didn’t have a tracking spell on your location anyways.”</p><p>“Are you mad?” Jeno asks, his expression wilting just a little.</p><p>Taeyong uncrosses his arms slowly. “No, I’m not. But I want to talk about your first day of classes, guys. Let’s do some tea leaf readings.”</p><p>He pulls out Taeil’s ugliest teapot, the ceramic one with little red polka dots painted onto it. It looks like it’s got chicken pox or something. Donghyuck thinks the antique store that it came from should honestly burn.</p><p>“Oh, Jaemin. I’ve got coffee grounds for you,” Taeyong says. “I know you’d prefer that.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Jaemin mumbles. “So who’s going first?”</p><p>“Donghyuck, sit down,” Taeyong commands. “Everyone else, out.”</p><p>There’s a moment of scampering, Jeno tripping over his feet and Renjun nearly knocking the tea over in his haste to get up. Jaemin gives one last wave before they all exit to the garden. Suddenly, it’s quiet. Just a baby Sun witch and his two mentors, one of them definitely more chill than the other.</p><p>“Okay, how are we doing this?” Donghyuck asks, as if they haven’t done this a million times by now.</p><p>Taeyong fills up one of Taeil’s equally ugly polka-dotted tea cups.</p><p>“Here,” he says, sliding it over. “Drink.”</p><p>Donghyuck takes a sip and immediately spits it out.</p><p>“Jesus Christ,” he says, reeling in disgust from the taste of Taeyong’s special herbal blend. “It’s— um, it’s really hot.”</p><p>“Donghyuck,” Taeyong says seriously. “I’ve seen you drink liquids that are hotter than boiling. Just chug the damn tea.”</p><p>“Fine,” Donghyuck snaps. He downs the entire thing and resists the urge to gag.</p><p>“Good job.” Taeyong reaches for the cup. “Now let’s see what we have here.”</p><p>The room is silent as he reads the leaves. Taeyong maneuvers the cup in his hands, squinting as he deciphers the sediments. His expression starts to show increasing signs of distress.</p><p>“Donghyuck,” he says, slowly growing purple. “Did you…did you meet a BOY?”</p><p>“You met a boy?” Taeil exclaims.</p><p>“You met a boy?” Jaemin repeats, his head sticking in from Taeil’s open kitchen window.</p><p>“Jaemin, get out!” Donghyuck shrieks. He shoots a finger in that direction, his magic shutting the window in Jaemin’s face.</p><p>“Fuck you!” they hear from outside. “I just fell in a pile of mud!”</p><p>Donghyuck turns back to Taeyong. “Yes, I met a boy in class. His name is Mark. I think he might be magical.”</p><p>“I see,” Taeyong says lightly. “Is he nice?”</p><p>Donghyuck’s face scrunches in perplexity. “I guess? I just met him today, though.”</p><p>“Interesting,” Taeil murmurs, rubbing his chin wisely. “Do you think you’ll become friends?”</p><p>“Maybe,” Donghyuck answers. “I gave him my number because he said he still had to get a new phone.”</p><p>Kind of a fishy excuse but Donghyuck had let it go because there was something about Mark that just felt a little <em> different. </em>He wasn’t a witch, that’s for sure. But he wasn’t normal either. He had like, a weird energy or something, which Donghyuck had pinpointed long before he even entered the classroom. It was odd but familiar, strong enough to make him want to sit next to the guy and introduce himself like an extremely polite stranger.</p><p>It didn’t hurt that he was also kind of cute. Like, in a lost puppy kind of way. If Donghyuck was a normal human with a normal life, nothing magical on this side of campus, he might have even thought about asking Mark out.</p><p>Completely out of question, though. Donghyuck doesn’t date much. Freshman year, he had a boyfriend who was not impressed with the fact that he lived in a large house with several men who gave off extremely strange vibes (Baekhyun, before he moved out west to start his own coven, was <em> very </em> good at creeping out the normies).</p><p>“It’s like I don’t even know you,” his ex said, packing the things he’d let accumulate inside Donghyuck’s bedroom. Spare shirts, underwear, textbooks, and a laptop charger. His movements were hurried, like he just really wanted to get out. And Donghyuck, as sad as he was, had watched him leave without another word because telling him the truth would’ve just freaked him out more.</p><p>“I’m really sorry, dude,” Jaemin consoled. “You wanna talk about it?”</p><p>“You don’t have to say sorry,” Donghyuck mumbled. “I know none of you liked him.”</p><p>Jaemin didn’t bother to deny it. He just nodded and patted Donghyuck on the back.</p><p>You could try one of the fae,” he suggested. “Lucas is pretty hot, isn’t he?”</p><p>“Nah,” Donghyuck said, looking across the quad to where Lucas and Yangyang were throwing around a frisbee. “I think Renjun would kill me.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s a <em> thing </em> now?” Jaemin said, leaning forward with interest.</p><p>“Yeah,” Donghyuck snorted. “Has been for awhile. You think he’ll be invited to the club from now on?”</p><p>Jaemin looked out too, eyes closely following the fae.</p><p>“No,” he replied. “Faeries got their own thing going on. Besides, it’ll take them a million years to get together anyways.”</p><p>That was just last year, although it feels like eons ago. Nothing really exciting has happened since then, except Jeno floundering his confession to Jaemin and becoming so embarrassed that he tried to erase Jaemin’s memory of the whole thing. Except he cast the wrong spell and erased five years’ worth of memories rather than just five minutes. Restoring them was a lot more book research and a lot less adventure than Donghyuck had hoped.</p><p>But yeah, basically nothing has happened since then. Mark Lee, with his bashful smile and weird magical-but-not-magical energy, is currently the most interesting thing in Donghyuck’s dark tunnel of a life. Apparently, that’s interrogation-worthy.</p><p>“I’m not trying to misbehave,” he laments. “I really thought he could use a friend.”</p><p>His mentors share a weighted look.</p><p>“Donghyuck,” Taeil says gently. “He sounds like an interesting person. Why not invite him to the club?”</p><p>“The <em>club?”</em> Donghyuck says. “That’s sacred. Taeyong would kill me.”</p><p>“Oh, I think it’s fine,” Taeyong loftily says. “I’m actually kind of curious.”</p><p>Donghyuck fully blanches.</p><p>“You’re <em> curious?” </em>he nearly shouts. “Since when have you been curious instead of fucking suspicious?”</p><p>“Since now,” Taeyong replies. “His name is Mark, you said? That sounds biblical. I’ve got a feeling that he’s a nice guy.”</p><p>“Again with your feelings,” Donghyuck mutters. Although, after meeting that cat today, he’s less inclined to question the value of <em> feelings. </em></p><p>Donghyuck turns to Taeil. “Are you seeing this?”</p><p>“Actually, I’m curious too,” Taeil joins in. “Just go like, check out his vibes, you know?”</p><p>Donghyuck takes a deep breath through his nose.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll invite him to the club,” he decides. “But only because you guys told me to. If anything bad happens, you can’t say it was my fault.”</p><p>Taeyong just laughs, already reaching for the teapot to prepare for his next victim.</p><p>“Donghyuck,” he says, pouring another cup full. “When have I ever steered you wrong?”</p><p>Donghyuck looks at him knowingly, serious for once.</p><p>“Never,” he replies. “So don’t start on me now.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and that's chapter 2!! big thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments so far (': you guys make my heart warm.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. we got no money but we got heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>WE'RE GONNA RATTLE THIS GHOST TOWN</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Doyoung is drunk. That wasn’t exactly the goal tonight but Jaehyun isn’t really complaining.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaehyun,” he groans, lying face down on the table. “We were supposed to be productive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold on,” Jaehyun says, equally drunk. He repeatedly stabs a straw into his empty glass and sucks in hard. There’s nothing but air and puckered noises. “Fuck, it’s all gone. Should we get more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need,” Doyoung huffs. “Let me just—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snaps his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, angel magic,” Jaehyun marvels, helping himself to one of the two cocktails which materialized at their table. “Are you sure you’re allowed to do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I am,” Doyoung scoffs, his speech slurring just a little. “I’m an angel. I can do—” a hiccup, “—whatever I want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hiccups again. Cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say,” Jaehyun says, plucking out a toothpick umbrella and twirling it between his fingers. “Anyways, what is it that we were supposed to be doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looking for Youngho,” Doyoung replies, frowning as if the thought alone induces a migraine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. Yeah, they were supposed to be doing that, weren’t they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I forgot about that,” Jaehyun admits. He takes his straw and sips from it slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Doyoung says, throwing his head back. “Me too, Jaehyun. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Me too.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he’s laughing, although it kind of looks like he’s in pain too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?” Jaehyun asks, scrunching his eyes. This bar is lowly lit, barely any light shining through. Across the table, Doyoung glows under the moon. His eyelashes cast a shadow, rivulets down his cheeks, and he looks absolutely stunning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course he does. He’s one of the angels, both beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. But Jaehyun has a feeling that it might be something more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s cruel,” Doyoung replies. He shakes his glass, ice clinking on the sides. “It’s like they’re rubbing it in my face. Specifically asking me to come down and find him, it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>fair—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you talking about Youngho?” Jaehyun realizes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Doyoung blurts. “Yes— I mean, I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun sighs. “Doyoung, tell me what’s wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t understand,” Doyoung replies. “You’re a demon. Things are different for you. You can’t imagine the way I felt, you could </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> imagine—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—how envious I felt after Youngho had Fallen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun looks at him closely. He’s heard Doyoung admit a lot of things, but nothing of this magnitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Envy is a sin,” he states. One of the big ones too. He can’t imagine it would go over well if the people up there found out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung just sits back, exhales deeply as he blows air through his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, Jaehyun. You don’t have to remind me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you, um...” Jaehyun begins. “Do you feel guilty?” Centuries of friendship and he still doesn’t quite know how angels really work. How Doyoung really works.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Doyoung admits. “I don’t feel guilty at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun has no idea how to respond to that. Perhaps there’s hope after all, but he doubts that’s the way Doyoung will see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re drunk,” he decides. “We should go home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t want to,” Doyoung protests. “We should stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here we go,” Jaehyun mutters, pulling Doyoung to stand on his feet. Both his legs wobble so Jaehyun hugs around his waist, bringing him close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will be fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No—” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Doyoung says. “I’m going to puke—”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Snap!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And they’re gone, leaving behind nothing but a faint trace of smoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung emerges from Jaehyun’s shower smelling like Japanese Cherry Blossom. His hair is damp and he’s wearing an enormous white t-shirt. How very Doyoung.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you still shop at Bath and Body Works,” he complains. “For a demon, you don’t try very hard to be seductive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s not in my job description,” Jaehyun frowns. “And— wait, what’s wrong with Bath and Body Works?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a lost cause if you even have to ask,” Doyoung scoffs. He looks at Jaehyun, already changed into his sleep clothes. “Aren’t you going to shower too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already cleaned up,” Jaehyun replies. “With, you know—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snaps his fingers, red sparks flying from his hand. Demon magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” Doyoung tells him. He catches Jaehyun’s hands in his, snuffing out the sparks. “The smell makes me sick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it really?” Jaehyun asks, fumbling out of Doyoung’s grip. “Don’t lie, Doyoung. That’s also a sin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The angel glowers. His face is so close that Jaehyun can feel his warm breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t lecture me about sins,” he says. “We should just sleep. I’m tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s doubt in his voice, fickle in tone. It’s a certain pitch, a timbre that Jaehyun easily hears. Maybe he knows Doyoung better than he thinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Jaehyun says, leaning a tiny bit closer. “I asked you not to lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung’s eyes flicker down, wavering the smallest amount. There’s doubt in there too. Not a lot, but it’s there. And so long as it exists, Jaehyun will cling onto every bit he can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not doing this,” Doyoung quietly says. “Angels don’t do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun wants to laugh. That argument is about as weak as tissue in the wind, torn to shreds with a single breeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” he says, fingers light on Doyoung’s waist. “Angels don’t eat or drink. They don’t own antique shops and help out lost humans. They don’t get jealous of their Fallen co-workers and they don’t need to sleep. You’ve been on Earth for so long, Doyoung. Is an angel all that you are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun doesn’t get a response to that. Instead, he gets a kiss, right on the lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment is long, stretched in their silence. Jaehyun sighs into it, because kissing Doyoung feels like the first time every time. Maybe that’s why he hopes, all the fucking time, that Doyoung sees what he sees too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They break apart softly, heavy breaths in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this,” Doyoung says. “Here I am, getting seduced by the lamest demon of all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun laughs, angling in for another kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think you could do a lot worse.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten sneezes, which is kind of weird because demons don’t get allergies nor can they get sick. Someone must be talking shit behind his back. But before he can continue that thought, Johnny’s face appears right in front of his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” he asks, adorably concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Ten replies, smiling back as sweet as he can. “I’m just having trouble with this box.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I can help,” Johnny says, taking it right from Ten’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arms flex as he lifts the heavy weight, carrying it into their now-shared apartment. Ten ogles shamelessly, thankful that even the largest of shirts still look too small on Johnny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Picking things up and putting them down somewhere else is not Ten’s preferred method of passing the time. Under normal circumstances, he would be more than happy to just zap everything into the new apartment with a snap of his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This, however, is not normal circumstances. This is Johnny, hot as hell (no pun intended) with muscles that look like he could bench press three times Ten’s weight. It would be such a waste to not put them to use. Hence all the moving, which gets more and more tedious as the evening wears on. Ten does his best though, zapping a couple boxes here and there when Johnny’s not looking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun is long gone by the time that they’re done. Johnny leans into their living room couch, muted ESPN playing in the background as he sifts through a stack of takeout menus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna just get pizza?” he asks, running a hand through his tousled hair as he reads through the prices.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Ten replies, reveling in the unfamiliar domesticity of it all. “Extra cheese, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obtaining said pizza is a half-hour journey. After a short-lived conversation about Johnny’s psychotic taste in toppings, Ten tips the delivery boy and sets dinner on the table. It’s not until this very moment that he realizes he’s absolutely famished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” he begins, picking the pineapple pieces off of his slice. “I’m honestly surprised you agreed to be my roommate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Johnny asks, reaching over to eat Ten’s unwanted pineapple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You barely just met me,” Ten explains. “For all you know, I could be a violent axe murderer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny just laughs. Ten thinks it’s unfair that anyone can look that good with food still in their mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you’re an axe murderer,” Johnny says, turning slightly smug. “And besides, even if you were, I’m pretty sure I could take you down in like, five seconds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ironic thing is that Ten could probably kill him in less than three. He settles for rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I get it. I’m tiny and short. You’re big and tall. That’s why I made you move all the boxes, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind,” Johnny shrugs. “I used to do everything for my younger brother. You kind of remind me of him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten almost gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I resemble your baby brother?” he asks, wholly unimpressed with the comparison. This is not the impression that he originally intended to make.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not like that,” Johnny cackles. “I just mean that it’s been awhile since I’ve taken care of anyone. I hope you’re ready because I’m about to be the best roommate there ever was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, that’s better,” Ten says. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since the first time they’ve met, Johnny’s smile falters just a tad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” he replies. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him, though. Maybe over a year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sounds wistful, just a little sad, and Ten finds himself feeling oddly curious</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you guys on bad terms?” he asks, backtracking when the words leave his mouth. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to talk about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing like that,” he says, grabbing a napkin to wipe tomato sauce off his fingers. “It’s just been awhile since I’ve seen him and it feels kind of weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say that I know how that feels,” Ten says, shaking his head. “I’m an only child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s actually a complete lie. Ten has three older sisters and all of them have attempted to eat him at some point in time. It’s kill-or-be-killed down there in Hell which is probably why Earth feels like such a vacation to Ten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just lives kind of far, you know?” Johnny continues. “I really miss him a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he must be wonderful,” Ten smiles. “I would love to meet him some day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten wants to look into the mirror and scream at himself. Maybe ask Yuta to slap him across the face. What is he doing, eating pizza with Johnny while having a heart-to-heart about the guy’s brother? This is uncharacteristically tender and absolutely nothing like what he’s used to. And the worst part of it all is that it feels nice— he </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes </span>
  </em>
  <span>it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Across the table, Johnny takes no notice of Ten’s inner turmoil. He simply smiles back, which is devastatingly attractive in itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be nice,” he says. “I think Mark would really like you.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>To Donghyuck’s horror, the first introduction Mark gets to botany club is an expertly aimed book thrown right at his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dear Lilith, I’m so sorry,” Renjun says unapologetically, crouching over where Mark’s body is collapsed on the pavement. He gingerly picks up the book and dusts it off. “I didn’t mean to do that. I thought you were Donghyuck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Donghyuck in question scoffs, bending down to help Mark to his feet. “Hey dipshit, can you not kill him before he’s even been introduced?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renjun just shrugs. “Well, he’s not dead, is he? I’m Renjun by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A now-recovered Mark takes Renjun’s proffered hand, shaking it lightly before saying,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you. I’m Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the distance, the rest of the boys call out to them, eager to greet the fresh face. It’s not often that someone new gets brought around. This club is magic-exclusive, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he’s cute!” Jaemin exclaims, bounding happily toward them. “Where have you been all my life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, Canada?” Mark stammers, looking entirely unsure of what to do with all this attention. Luckily for him, Donghyuck decides to take pity and swoops in to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Jaemin,” he introduces. “He has no brain-to-mouth filter but don’t be mistaken. His heart is entirely devoted to Jeno.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s me,” Jeno smiles, giving Mark a firm handshake. “I’m your local divination expert. Just to be clear, you shouldn’t do tarot cards with anyone but me. Who knows what kind of shit readings Jisung could give you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Jisung protests, puffing out his cheeks like a hamster. “I’m still improving! Stop ruining my reputation before I even have one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too late,” Renjun mutters under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck snorts in response. “Oh, look who’s talking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by that?” Renjun threatens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think?” Donghyuck says. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>not the one who uses his powers to help people cheat on tests.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Mark squeaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not what you think,” Renjun defends. “I’m an oracle, so I can pick up bits and pieces of the future. If I happen to See some exam results and people are willing to fork over some cash for it, then so be it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s awful,” Donghyuck says. “It’s immoral, even. You’re infamous on this campus, Renjun. People think you’re some sort of master </span>
  <em>
    <span>thief.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Chenle says, his bright orange hair popping up between Jeno and Jaemin. “I’m feeling left out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, this traffic cone over here is Chenle,” Donghyuck says. “Please ignore his appearance. We were testing out hair color charms and he went a little haywire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn right,” Chenle says. “I want neon pink next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s cool,” Mark says. “It’s nice to meet you all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles shyly, clearly pleased to be making new friends. And Donghyuck is glad that he gave him that smile, despite all the mystery surrounding him. Jaemin seems to have the same thought though, because he cracks a grin in response and asks,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what’s your deal, Mark? I’m scanning your vibes and you don’t seem like a witch…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaemin specializes in auras,” Jeno helpfully adds. “He’s pretty good at reading energies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, is he?” Mark laughs. “That’s, uh, very neat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, not a fae either…” Jaemin trails off. “Maybe a phoenix? Something to do with the sky for sure, I’m sensing something quite…celestial?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well…” Mark says, trailing off nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scratches his neck, which is something Donghyuck has noticed him doing when their economics professor starts rambling about topics that Mark clearly doesn’t understand. He’s anxious, and painfully so. Donghyuck begins to grow more and more curious about what this boy could possibly be hiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also feels sympathetic, though. Mark is special, so soft and unaware that Donghyuck finds it hard to believe he’s even real at times. The reason behind his transfer must be extraordinary in itself, remarkable enough to hide. Jaemin is a hound for the truth, if nothing else, and for the second time today, Donghyuck decides to step in and help the boy out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can just tell us when you’re ready,” he interrupts. “What matters is that you’re magical, right? That’s basically the only prerequisite for this club.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, this is true,” Jaemin agrees. “You’re definitely magical. Are you going to stick around? It would be nice to have some non-coven folks around here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coven?” Mark asks. “You guys are all witches?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jisung says. “I thought you already knew, since you came here with Donghyuck and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark turns to Donghyuck, eyes so bright he might go blind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a witch?” he asks. “I didn’t know that. You seem more, uh— spiritual? Is that the right word? It reminds me of the Sun, if that makes any sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bingo!” Renjun confirms. “That was pretty good. You might even give Jaemin a run for his money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I’m a witch,” Donghyuck grins. “But not just any old witch. I’m the solar incarnate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rubs his hands together, sparking the tiniest bit of heat. Then he turns both palms up, sunlight flowing between his fingers as if there’s a light shining from underneath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa,” Mark says, eyes filled with wonder. “Can I touch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck wasn’t expecting that. Behind Mark’s shoulder, Jaemin shoots him a haughty look, a cheshire grin that stretches slowly across his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, I know exactly what’s going on here, </span>
  </em>
  <span>his eyes seem to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, yeah,” Donghyuck replies, slightly winded. “Feel free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark takes Donghyuck’s hands in his, softly touching his palms, and there’s that feeling again— the same feeling he felt when they shook hands upon their first meeting. Something warm and magnetic, familiar in a way Donghyuck doesn’t quite often feel because, well, there’s no one on Earth with the same magic as him. No one but Taeil, that is. And now there’s Mark, magical in ways that are not readily explained. And lord knows that witches don’t back down from solving the mysteries they wished to unravel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what does botany club do?” Mark asks, tracing the lines on Donghyuck’s palms. “Something with plants?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, botany club is just a cover,” Jeno explains. “We literally just made a fake student club so we could hang out together during school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck smiles at the memory. It certainly was a good idea on Renjun’s part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The people with actual plants are in the horticulture society,” Chenle adds on. “They actually protested when we registered our club because they thought we would steal their members but Jaemin managed to cast a persuasion charm. Besides, our club has an extensive membership approval process. Which you just passed, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, cool,” Mark says, his whole face lighting up. His hands are, agonizingly and maddeningly, still touching Donghyuck’s. “We just hang out then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup,” Renjun nods. “We usually try to fit in a magical adventure every month—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like last week, when Donghyuck tried to get us to help him find this stray cat,” Chenle pipes in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snowball isn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> cat,” Donghyuck hisses. “He’s my omen, and I think it’s a good one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you named a black cat </span>
  <em>
    <span>Snowball,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jisung laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways,” Renjun continues. “We also try to go to the library to study. Midterms are coming up, you know? I’ve got a bad feeling that Jaemin will fail his organic chemistry exam.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jaemin exclaims. “Are you serious? I’ve been studying so hard for that. I even go to </span>
  <em>
    <span>class</span>
  </em>
  <span> now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who knows?” Renjun shrugs. “I could be lying. I could be not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck you,” Jaemin groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All this talk about exams is making Donghyuck nervous. More specifically, nervous for Mark, who he’s never seen show a single hint of comprehension during their macroeconomics course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Renjun— do you think you can See something for me right now?” he asks. “For the economics class I’m taking with Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> you want my help,” Renjun scowls. “Weren’t you just saying that what I do is awful and immoral—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you just do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Renjun snaps. “Give me a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he looks off into the distance, focusing his breath. Their friends all grow quiet, giving him the silence he needs. Slowly, Renjun’s irises turn to bright blue, his pupils glowing white. Mark observes closely and doesn’t look squeamish at all, which in itself speaks volumes about his experience with magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renjun stays like that for a couple seconds, nothing but the breeze around them. Then he blinks and everything is back to normal. Renjun turns to Donghyuck and Mark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t look too good,” he says. “I think you guys should study.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To the library, then,” Donghyuck sighs. “Mark, are you coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a moment where Donghyuck fears that Mark will say no. That he will look at all of them with horror and say </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is really weird, I am leaving right now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Logically, it wouldn’t make sense, since Mark seems to have more than his fair share of involvement with magic. But it’s an instinctual reaction on Donghyuck’s part and he just can’t help it. After all, it’s quite hard to make new friends when most of his life has been spent with just the witches of his coven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ultimately, he has nothing to worry about. Mark grins in response, adjusting the straps on his backpack like the nerd that he is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he says. “I’ll come with you guys.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Life on Earth passes by faster than Mark expects. He watches summer fade to autumn, gets a C on his first macroeconomics midterm, and finally buys himself a real, bonafide cellular device.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A Samsung, no less,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Donghyuck had uttered in complete distaste. Mark doesn’t quite get what he means by that. It’s still a phone, right? They should all work the same, even though Donghyuck has a cute little apple on the back of his. Would it be possible for Mark to get one of those too?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The days elapse in succession, entering such a comfortable routine that Mark nearly forgets why he came here in the first place. It’s not until Doyoung strides into the shop one day, bell ringing menacingly as he asks for a status update. Mark cowers a little when he admits he has none, but Doyoung just sighs, surprisingly empathetic when he explains that Earth just gets this way sometimes, you’ll eventually get used to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark feels really bad but he honestly just kind of…forgot? There’s just something about Earth that sucks him in, anchoring him to the new life he’s built in this town. Doyoung was right (just like he’s always right), there is certainly something about the mortal realm that clings onto his skin, making him forget who he really was, and making him believe that he really is Mark Lee, a Canadian transfer student just trying to earn a university degree. What a fucking joke. Yerim would laugh her fucking head off if she saw what was happening here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as lame as it is, there’s just something about this that Mark can’t let go. It’s the same feeling he gets when he watches the early sun rise, when he looks across the room and sees the twinkle in Donghyuck’s eyes, offering up an entire universe of possibilities that Mark has never seen because up there in the heavens, there was never anything unknown to even consider. Living as a human seemed tough at first, to wake up each morning and not know what the Universe has planned out for you. But these days, Mark starts to feel, slowly, that perhaps it is more than worth living after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking about this too deeply,” Jungwoo says when Mark tells him this dilemma. “Everyone who comes to Earth has attachments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be right,” Mark frowns. “Angels don’t have attachments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Jungwoo asks. “Look at Doyoung. He has this shop. He has </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jaehyun.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun, Mark recently discovered, is a good friend of Doyoung’s who also happens to be a demon. This was surprising because one, Mark didn’t know Doyoung was capable of having friends and two, he was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>freaking demon!! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mark never would’ve guessed though, not with a face like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, you must be Mark,” Jaehyun said, peeking out from behind Doyoung’s shoulder when they decided to drop by the shop one late evening. “I’m Jaehyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man was gorgeous, with tousled brown hair and dimples deeper than the ocean. He smelled faintly of Warm Vanilla Sugar and Mark found himself utterly entranced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” he said, shaking his hand. Upon contact, he felt something hot, like smoke and ash in the air. He gasped, letting go of Jaehyun’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s a demon,” Doyoung said, his tone treating the fact like nothing more than an annoying afterthought. “Don’t talk to him too much, alright? Demons shouldn’t be trusted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the background, Jungwoo lightly snorted. “Speak for yourself,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duly ignoring his mentee’s comment, Doyoung turned for the exit. “Jaehyun and I are heading to dinner. Call me if you need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the two of them disappeared behind the door, leaving behind the soft tinkle of a bell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that was Jaehyun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay,” Mark says. “But Doyoung has been here for centuries. I’ve been here for, what— a month? This isn’t normal, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think any of this is normal,” Jungwoo observes. “If you’re so nervous, why don’t you try multitasking? Bring all the boys to the shop. You joined the club so they could help you find Eden, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, that had been the original plan. But what really happened was Donghyuck had marched into class one morning, pointed a finger at Mark, and said,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to join my botany club?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he just looked so determined and hopeful that Mark couldn’t say no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try that,” he agrees. “You wouldn’t mind? We’ll be extra careful around the goods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I couldn't care less about the goods,” Jungwoo loftily replies. “Half this stuff is garbage Doyoung picked up from the streets. It’ll be a little busy, so I suggest you guys meet in the back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan,” Mark says, shooting off a quick text to the group chat with his new proposed meeting place (yes, he knows how to work a group chat now!) “Thanks for all your help, by the way. I don’t know what I would do without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo smiles sweetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he replies. “You stupid angels would be so lost without me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shop is more than just a little busy when Mark brings his friends over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ve read about this place,” Renjun says, squeezing past a gaggle of girls fawning over a headless statue. “It’s kind of famous, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?” Mark says, the shop door ringing as he walks in. He’s honestly never seen so many people in here. But then again, he’s only in the shop in the early mornings, when he’s leaving for school, and in the evening, after he’s come home from hanging out with the club. The shop during business hours is something else entirely, filled with curious customers and oh lord, there’s just so much </span>
  <em>
    <span>dust</span>
  </em>
  <span> everywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet Baba Yaga!” Donghyuck exclaims, staring at a particularly ugly polka-dotted tea set. “So </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is where Taeil gets his wares. I’m sorry, Mark, but I’m going to have to burn down this shop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t do that,” Jungwoo says, appearing out of nowhere. “I really like my job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jungwoo!” Jisung greets. “I didn’t know you knew Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jungwoo says. “My boss is Mark’s, um—” he looks at Mark expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark thinks for a moment. What would Doyoung be to him, exactly? He always referred to Youngho as a brother but Doyoung didn’t really fit that label. Doyoung was more of a—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uncle,” he says. “Doyoung is my grumpy uncle. He owns this whole shop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much do you get paid?” Renjun unabashedly asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh— you know,” Jungwoo says, leaning over to whisper into Renjun’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He pays you </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> much?” Renjun balks. “Is that even legal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well,” Jungwoo waves a hand. “Doyoung is, um— not really from around here. They treat money differently where he’s from, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can just say that he’s rich,” Chenle hums while perusing the shelves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin’s face lights up with an idea. “Hey, do you think I could get a job here too—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renjun slaps Jaemin hard on the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! If anyone has dibs on a cushy job here, it’s me. I’m tired of dealing with entitled kids texting me the morning of their exams asking for test answers. Do you know how hard it is to See before I’ve had my breakfast smoothie? Nearly impossible! I’ll die before I’m thirty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeno comforts his boyfriend with a hand on his back. “Renjun, you need to stop building that fancy telescope. It’s draining your wallet dry. You should honestly just drop the entire alien thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alien thing?” Mark asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, here we go,” Donghyuck mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Renjun says, squaring up his shoulders. “It’s not just a “thing”, guys. They exist, okay? They’re real and they’re out there. We are just too blind to see!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, totally,” Mark reflexively agrees, nearly shuddering at the memory of the martian colony he stumbled upon when running coffee orders for Seulgi. There were just so. Many. Tentacles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin looks at him weirdly, narrowing his eyes. “You believe that stuff? How do you sound so sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhhh,” Mark says. Behind the boys, he can see Jungwoo pinching the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah, Mr. Mysterious, you know something we don’t?” Chenle accuses. “Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> an alien?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Mark defends. “I mean— I just believe that they’re real. The possibility isn’t far off, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My man,” Renjun says, clapping him on the shoulder. “I knew I could trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” Jisung nods. “After all, we’ve got witches and faeries—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And vampires,” Mark supplies helpfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, are you crazy?” Jeno gasps. “Vampires don’t exist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oops, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mark thinks, adding that to the list of things humans weren’t yet aware of. Gods, these people really needed to catch up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know they probably aren’t real,” he amends. “But I don’t like ruling out that possibility either, you know? The possibility of all these possibilities being possible is just...another possibility that can possibly happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Donghyuck says, looking a little dazed. “I can see that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo helpfully clears his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s getting kind of busy out here. Do you guys want to take this to the back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Renjun says. “It’s probably quieter, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin nods in agreement. “Lead the way, Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing,” Mark says, turning toward the storage room. Jungwoo stops him on the way though, a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he whispers. “Don’t forget what you came here to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not like Mark needs the reminder. Or maybe he does, and just doesn’t want to face the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he replies. “I didn’t forget.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong groans, leaning back in his chair with his eyes squeezed shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it this time?” Taeil asks, not even looking up from the spellbook he’s transcribing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, nothing,” Taeyong says. “Just having some trouble planning Donghyuck’s birthday party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Taeil chuckles. “Wouldn’t expect anything less from our house’s head trainer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong was taken in by the coven as just a small child, raised with the best magical education there was. Five years ago, he was deemed skillful enough to have Donghyuck, their very own Sun witch, assigned to his apprenticeship, alongside five other little witches. The position is honorable, for sure. But more often than not, Taeyong feels like he’s running a daycare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No cucumbers,” Taeyong mutters. “I need to find a restaurant that doesn’t put cucumbers in their noodles—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeil interrupts him by closing his book with a thud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong,” he says, walking over to his desk. “Does it really matter if there’s cucumbers in the food?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Taeyong hisses. “This day needs to be perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it does. I think you’re just too psyched out about having to leave, which—” Taeil clicks his tongue, “—I still have my reservations about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a choice I can make,” Taeyong contends, frustratedly running a hand through his hair. “I was only meant to stay until his coming-of-age. I won’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>allowed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really won’t tell the boys?” Taeil asks. “They’ll miss you, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong sighs, wistful but resolute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Moon,” he says. “You can pull in the tides but you can’t make me stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeil smiles, a conversation they’ve already had time and time again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call me that,” he says. “I’m not the Moon anymore. I haven’t been since the day I turned twenty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense,” Taeyong argues back. “You’ll always be the Moon, in my eyes and everyone else’s. Your magic is special. There’s no one on this Earth like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Except Donghyuck,” Taeil points out. “He’s going to be so heartbroken, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Taeyong replies. “But the boys are all stronger than we think. And speaking of which—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes,” Taeil says, looking down at his watch. “It’s almost ten, they should be getting back soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, the door bursts open, six boys poised at the entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeil!” Chenle exclaims. “You were here the whole time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We went to your house but you weren’t there,” Jeno pouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, sorry,” Taeil apologizes. “I was just hanging out with—” he awkwardly pats Taeyong on the back, “—good old Taeyong over here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted you to meet Mark,” Jaemin explains. “But it didn’t look like you were there at all, so we just sent him home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe next time,” Taeil suggests. “I’ll see him at Donghyuck’s birthday party, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck!” Donghyuck shrieks. “I forgot about that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Donghyuck,” Taeyong says, rubbing his temples. “It’s in less than two weeks. How could you forget?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been busy, okay?” Donghyuck whines. “School is a lot and we’ve also been showing Mark around. I know he’s from Canada and all, but he’s sort of clueless about </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shut up,” Renjun says. “We know you secretly think it’s cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Anyways,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Donghyuck interrupts. “Am I allowed to invite him to my birthday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Taeyong says. “Have him come over. It’ll be a blast, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise?” Donghyuck asks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Pinky </span>
  </em>
  <span>promise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong smiles fondly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” he replies, sticking out his pinky finger. “Come here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck walks over, hooking his pinky with Taeyong’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cross my heart and hope to die—” he recites.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—hear my truth and never lie,” Taeyong finishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make the thumbs kiss!” Taeil reminds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong stretches his wrist to touch the pad of Donghyuck’s thumb with his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” he says. “Your birthday will be great. That’s my promise, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Donghyuck beams. “You promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And from the bottom do his heart, Taeyong hopes it’s a promise he can keep.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hi friends! my goal is to post a chapter every 3 days but ah the next few chapters are very much unwritten and i've truly got my work cut out for me lol thank you again to everyone who read, commented, or left a kudos - y'all are my sun and my stars 💚💚💚</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. we lie beneath the stars at night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>OUR HANDS GRIPPING EACH OTHER TIGHT</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“No cucumbers in the noodles? That’s kind of a weird request.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny just shrugs, pushing the grocery cart down the aisle as Ten throws in a slew of snacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my job to make the catering orders, not judge them. Maybe the birthday kid is allergic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Allergic to cucumbers?” Ten says disbelievingly, scrutinizing the Pringle’s cans before grabbing Sour Cream and Onion. “How can someone be allergic to </span>
  <em>
    <span>cucumbers?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny shrugs again. “I don’t know, dude. How are you allergic to every fruit on the planet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not allergic,” Ten corrects, grabbing a bag of Hot Cheetos off the nearest shelf. “I’m just sensitive to the taste.” Then he opens the bag, shaking the bright red snacks inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Johnny hisses. “You’re not supposed to open those before you buy them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want one?” Ten asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He holds one up to Johnny’s mouth but Johnny shakes his head, refusing the treat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t take you anywhere,” he mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unphased, Ten pops the cheeto into his mouth and smiles devilishly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Au contraire, Johnny. You actually take me everywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s true. Ten does get taken everywhere, tagging along when Johnny runs errands at convenience stores or the dry cleaner’s. He shows up at the restaurant during Johnny’s work shifts and hell, he even accompanies him to the university library as Johnny studies for grad school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand how you have so much free time,” Johnny says, turning their cart into the dairy aisle. “Aren’t consultants supposed to be busy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten thinks for a moment, recalling the fib he told when his roommate asked what it was he exactly did for a living. It’s not too far off from the truth. Ten’s job requires him to travel quite a bit and execute projects on a case-by-case basis. Basically a consultant, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m in between clients right now,” he lies. “Lots of downtime. Can we get string cheese?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Johnny says, grabbing the provolone-mozzarella mix. “You’re the lactose intolerant one, not me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the enabler, not me,” Ten parrots back. “And I amend my previous statement. You don’t take me </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Johnny asks, slightly distracted as he picks out the right brand of coffee beans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Ten says, tossing a package of coffee filters into the cart. “For example, I had no idea where you were last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny scrunches his brow. “I fell asleep in the library while writing a paper. Why are you asking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Ten shrugs. “Maybe you were getting blitzed at the club.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I have time for that?” Johnny snorts. “What is this, twenty questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten gasps, delighted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, let’s play twenty questions. I’ll go first. Why did you leave your previous job to pursue a miserable master’s degree in theology?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeez, coming in strong, aren’t we?” Johnny huffs. “I didn’t like that job, so I left. And what’s wrong with theology?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Ten says. “I just think it’s— hmm, kind of boring.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a demon, Ten is allowed to say that. What isn’t boring, though, is the other part of Johnny’s response. He didn’t like his job, so he left? That’s the vaguest thing Ten’s ever heard. It could be nothing, but it could also be something. His curiosity only continues to grow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair,” Johnny nods. “My turn, then. Why do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>stay</span>
  </em>
  <span> at your job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that’s an easy one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same reason you left yours,” Ten replies, watching idly as Johnny picks out the good produce. “I like it. And I worked hard to get to my current post. My coworkers are pretty cool too, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes,” Johnny recalls as he bags up some celery. “Sicheng, Yuta, and— who was the other one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Officer Jung,” Ten answers with a grin. “It really pisses him off when we call him that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can imagine,” Johnny says. “If I ever meet him, I’ll ask for his real name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten laughs. “If that ever happens. He’s pretty busy, you know. Is it my turn again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Johnny answers, distractedly checking his grocery list.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. What’s a dark secret you have?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that Ten is actually expecting him to admit something personally confidential, but it’s worth a try, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Johnny says, pretending to think. “Sometimes, I don’t put on gloves in the restaurant kitchen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten pulls a disgusted face. “You’ve been preparing food without gloves? I don’t know if that’s like, kosher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you’re using that word correctly,” Johnny says, raising an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll use my words how I want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, whatever,” Johnny replies, getting in the line for self-checkout. “Next question. Who’s going to pay for all this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gestures to their grocery cart, brimming full with definitely way more stuff than originally intended. Oops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me,” Ten offers, sliding out a sleek black card (standard issue for every temptor demon with a maximum credit limit of 666,000 dollars).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel so unsettled whenever you pull out that thing,” Johnny confesses. “Like, seriously. How much do they pay you at your job?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a credit card, not my dick,” Ten jokes, scanning their items through the register. He’s extra careful with the open bag of Hot Cheetos. “Is it my turn now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Johnny says. “Ask away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Ten says, holding a finger to his chin. “Actually, can you give me a couple minutes? I have to think of a really good one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny simply grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. We have all the time in the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eden?” Jaemin asks, sliding forward with interest. “Like, the Garden of Eden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Mark replies, trying to sound as neutral as possible. “Don’t you think it would be cool if we tried to find it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tries not to fidget, hoping to frame the question as inconspicuous as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Donghyuck says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You barely passed the macro exam and now you want to pursue </span>
  <em>
    <span>this?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingers curl warmly at the collarbone and Mark does his best not to burst into flames. Another thing he hasn’t quite gotten used to is close contact. Angels aren’t touchy creatures, so it’s not like Doyoung ever gave him a hug or anything. Even Youngho, who was quite warm and friendly for celestial standards, never gave him more than a pat on the back. It’s agonizing because as amicable as Mark is with the other boys, Donghyuck is a whole new level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just curious,” he tries to justify. “And it’s on my, uh—” he racks his brain for the terminology Jungwoo taught him yesterday, “—bucket list. It’s on my bucket list.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, he’s got a point,” Renjun says, smacking his hand down on the table. “It’s been over a month since our last magical adventure. Shit’s been real boring these days. If Taeyong makes me memorize another potions recipe, I’m going to eat my oil pastels.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” Chenle says. “Let’s start some shit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t require anything illegal, right?” Jeno asks, shuffling nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jisung agrees. “I’m still scared of Taeyong after he yelled at us for breaking that gargoyle out of storage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was for a good cause,” Jaemin defends. “Are you going to spend your entire life scared of Taeyong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, yes?” Jisung says. “Have you </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taeyong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing illegal,” Mark cuts in. “At least, I don’t think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you already have a lead?” Jeno asks. “It sounds like you do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I guess we’re doing this,” Donghyuck mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark preens, pleased that they accepted his suggestion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do have a lead, but nothing too solid. I just— uh, read somewhere that Eden is in the domain of the fae. Do we know any faeries?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room is silent as everyone’s eyes turn to Renjun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” he asks, agitated. “I know them just as well as you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Jaemin says, shrugging on a jacket to combat the October breeze. “You definitely know Yukhei better than I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Close your mouth before I staple it shut,” Renjun threatens, shuffling to gather his things too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” Mark asks, hurriedly zipping up his backpack so he can follow too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kun’s” Donghyuck replies. “That’s where all the faeries hang out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kun’s turns out to be a bubble tea shop nestled on the edge of campus, owned and operated exclusively by a group of faeries. The interior is aesthetically decorated with a soft pastel theme and the line is busy with customers ordering from their menu of drink specialties. A tall, elvish looking guy greets them at the register, his big ears sticking out like bicycle handlebars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to Kun’s! How can I help— oh, Renjun! What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello to you too,” Jaemin snaps. “What are we, invisible?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renjun steps forward, cutting him off. “Ignore him, Yukhei. We’ll just get our usual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure!” Yukhei says. “That’ll be one milk tea less sugar less ice, a regular taro milk tea, grapefruit green tea, a strawberry smoothie, brown sugar milk with pudding, americano with four extra shots and—” his eyes shift to Mark, “—what about this guy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm—” Mark says, scrambling to read the menu. His eyes struggle to interpret the small font. There are way too many options. Oolong milk tea? Honey lemon? Passion fruit yakult? What the fuck is mango popping boba?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll get the regular black milk tea,” Donghyuck steps in, answering in his stead. “Lowest sugar level, please. He doesn’t like sweet things that much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck notices that he doesn’t like sweet things? That’s very— um, attentive of him? Mark feels oddly cared for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool,” Yukhei says. “I’m Yukhei, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark smiles in response. “Mark,” he says. “Do you have time for a question? We need to ask about something that’s... not on the menu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Yukhei says as he tallies up the price of their drinks. “What do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re looking for Eden,” Donghyuck replies. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yukhei freezes, his ears twitching slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ummm,” he says, briefly looking behind his shoulder. “You’ll have to talk to Kun about that. I can’t really help you too much there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he in right now?” Jeno asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is,” Yukhei confirms. “I have to stay and man the register, though. Hendery can take you to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns around and slaps his coworker hard on the back, causing him to drop the drink he was making.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yukhei— fuck! This chick ordered a drink with ten million add-ons and you just destroyed it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just magic the mess away,” Yukhei unabashedly suggests. “Besides, I can handle the drinks from here. These guys want to see Kun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Hendery says. “Just give me a second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snaps his fingers and the spill on the floor immediately disappears, a light twinkling noise ringing in Mark’s ears as he gawks at the blatant display of magic. No one in the shop seems to notice though, going about their day as normal while magic is happening right under their noses. Yukhei catches him staring and sends a friendly wink his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hendery will take you to the back. And don’t worry about the drinks,” he says, smiling straight at Renjun. “It’s on the house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps dating a faerie does have its benefits,” Jisung mutters, only to earn himself a punch on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not dating,” Renjun hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yet,” Chenle adds. “It’s only a matter of time and you know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hendery just sighs, wiping his hands on the front of his apron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you losers. Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun is seated comfortably in a booth situated at the back of a bubble tea shop that he saw an advertisement for on the local campus bulletin. Across the table, Doyoung is concentrated solely on his drink, sipping matcha tea and boba through a straw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seven out of ten,” he says, smacking his lips. “The tapioca is cooked perfectly but the tea is pretty average and there’s also too much ice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a hard one to please,” Jaehyun laughs, drinking slowly from his own beverage, an atrocious combination of aloe fruit tea with cheese float and coffee jelly add-ons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(“Um, are you sure that’s what you want?” the cashier had asked, looking visibly uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jaehyun smiled, reveling in the horror. “That is exactly what I want.”)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s your drink?” Doyoung asks, looking at Jaehyun in complete disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty good,” Jaehyun says, shaking his cup for good measure. “Eleven out of ten. Would definitely try again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’ll have tons of time to work through the entire menu,” Doyoung grumbles, his expression growing somber. “I’ll probably be here awhile. That comet lead was a dud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uh, yeah,” Jaehyun says, recalling the long hours they had spent in the astronomy section of the city library, Doyoung sifting through books while Jaehyun unhelpfully loitered around the vending machines. And then they went drinking afterwards. It was truly time well spent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Ugh, whatever,” Doyoung says. “I guess we’re back at square one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” Jaehyun suggests. “Nothing wrong with taking your time, right? It’ll give us more excuses to explore new places. Like this teashop! Don’t you think it’s cute?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung snorts, fiddling with the straw of his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” he says, scrutinizing the polka dots painted onto the wall. “It’s a little too pink for my tastes. You like this shit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jaehyun nods. “Pink is actually my favorite color.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, he’s surprised that Doyoung even came along when he suggested that they try this place out. Doyoung is an ancient creature, set in his ways and usually only interested in revisiting his old haunts. But it looks like he’s made the exception for Jaehyun, who, in the short amount of time that they’ve been here, has come to love this cafe. The staff is friendly, the wifi is strong, and Jaehyun wasn’t lying when he said he truly liked the way his drink tasted. The inside is adorable too, a string of fairy lights running through the ceiling, intertwined with vines of fake flowers. They’re practically growing an entire garden in here, potted plants sitting in the corners and mounted on the walls. There’s bells attached to the door too, jingling melodiously as a new group of customers walk in—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that Mark?” Jaehyun asks, pointing at the entrance. He’s only met the kid once but that perpetual deer-in-headlights face is pretty hard to miss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Doyoung hisses, whipping his head back before his eyes flash in recognition. “Fuck!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He crouches down gracelessly, holding his drink in front of his face as an utterly useless barricade. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s practically your child,” Jaehyun laughs, lowering his voice just to be polite. “Why don’t you want him to see you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that,” Doyoung snaps. “I don’t want to be seen with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with being seen with me?” Jaehyun frowns, mildly offended. “I’m a delight to be around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not that,” Doyoung whispers furiously. “You’re a </span>
  <em>
    <span>demon. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mark is much too young to understand the complexities of our friendship. He’s having enough trouble adjusting to Earth as it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we’re friends now?” Jaehyun says, smiling ecstatically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we are friends,” Doyoung sighs. “What else could we be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Doyoung. You run kind of hot and cold sometimes,” Jaehyun teases. “I never know with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, now you know,” Doyoung says bluntly. He exasperatedly runs a hand through his hair. “Oh Gabriel, what is Mark doing with all those boys? They look like a bunch of hooligans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they actually look really nice,” Jaehyun points out. “They seem to all be witches.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung throws another glance back, nodding along in a headcount and frowning when his eyes land on the small boy with bright orange hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lord, what kind of color is that?” he gasps. “Mark comes to Earth and the first thing he does is get involved with a coven. I truly wish Youngho were here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Youngho?” Jaehyun asks. “Why? Were they close?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Doyoung mutters, turning around to look at Jaehyun properly for once. “They were very close. Mark practically followed him everywhere. He was so crestfallen when Youngho left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It actually makes a lot of sense that Mark is Youngho’s more than Doyoung’s. In all their years, Doyoung had never once mentioned that he was fond of any of his underlings and his relationship with Mark seems to be that of a babysitter, saddled with the responsibility of watching over a kid he would much rather ignore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” Jaehyun says, an idea slowly coming to him. And no, he doesn’t want to tell Doyoung what it is because it actually might help him find Youngho and speed along his promotion. But it also doesn’t look like he has a choice, what with Doyoung’s hawk eyes already noticing his change in expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” he demands. “What is that demon brain of yours thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I was just going to say that Mark seems like quite an attachment for Youngho,” Jaehyun replies. “If Youngho realized Mark was on Earth right now, don’t you think he would— I don’t know, try to see him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung gasps, unable to contain himself as he nearly knocks over his drink in excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaehyun, you’re a genius,” he says, and Jaehyun tries not to bask too much because that’s a phrase he doesn’t quite often hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I?” he asks, entertained by how cutely inspired Doyoung looks right now, eyes wide and lips slightly open in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you are!” Doyoung says, placing both hands on the table. “New plan. We keep close tabs on Mark and see if he ever makes contact with Youngho.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s basically stalking,” Jaehyun points out. “Are you sure an angel should be engaging in that sort of behavior?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angel, schmangel,” Doyoung waves off. “This is for a bigger cause. The ends justify the means, you know? Plus, I’ll have you to help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if I don’t want to?” Jaehyun says, regretting his bright idea already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to,” Doyoung states. “Remember, Mark is only here because of you. You’re the one that asked me to find Eden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, actually, Ten asked, but Jaehyun doesn’t say that out loud. Instead, he says,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. What do we need to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, Donghyuck is surprised that Yukhei let them through so easily but, well— they’ve got Renjun with them, don’t they? He himself has only been back here once, when he was paired with Yangyang for a group project in some general ed class that he now forgets the name of. And speaking of Yangyang, the boy seems to be working a shift right now, stirring a big vat of brown sugar boba on the stove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s good? Who let your cursed souls back here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yangyang throws up a gloved peace sign, the sleeves of his oversized sweater hanging dangerously over the steaming pot. He’s wearing black jeans too, looking sufficiently toasted inside this humid kitchen. Donghyuck starts to sweat a little, a stark reminder of the light fever he’s been feeling ever since before school started. He smiles though, shoving the discomfort down his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yukhei let us in,” he winks, wrapping an arm around Renjun’s shoulder. “You know how it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t fucking touch me,” Renjun bites, harshly shoving him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re here to see Kun,” Hendery says, directing a curt nod toward the closed door at the end of the hallway. “Is he in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but he’s on the phone,” Yangyang replies. He takes his gloves off and turns the stove down to low. “Should be done in a couple minutes. In the meantime, can I get you guys anything? Water? Tea? A cup filled with just boba?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gross,” Jisung says. “Who wants that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised what people try to order here,” Hendery mutters, shuddering as if traumatized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, water would be nice,” Donghyuck says, tugging at the collar of his shirt. He rolls up the sleeves of his cardigan too. “With ice, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still feeling weird?” Jeno asks. “It usually goes away after a week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin places the back of his hand on Donghyuck’s forehead. The touch is cool, soothingly so, and Donghyuck leans into it just a little before Jaemin removes his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, feels normal to me,” Jaemin concludes, placing the same hand on his own forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What usually goes away after a week?” Mark asks, his big doe eyes peering at Donghyuck with blatant concern. With anyone else, it would be creepy, maybe a violation of personal space. But with Mark, it just makes Donghyuck feel even hotter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get these heat frenzies sometimes,” he explains. “Usually when the magic inside me spikes and I can’t control it. It happened a lot when I was younger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s an understatement,” Chenle snorts. “Do you know how many times you’ve accidentally set the house on fire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re probably partially responsible for global climate change too,” Renjun adds on. “Remember summer of ‘18?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I remember that summer,” Yangyang says, handing Donghyuck his requested cup of water, ice clinking on the sides. “The heatwave was so bad that our sales in cold drinks shot up by like, a million percent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Six hundred percent,” Hendery corrects. “But still, a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the time his ex broke up with him?” Jaemin says. “Largest solar flare in recorded history.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck bristles at the mention of his ex. Not that he’s salty about it or anything, the guy’s a fucking loser. But it feels weird to talk about him in front of Mark, who looks like someone who grows flowers in their garden and gives apples to teachers. And no, that is not Donghyuck’s usual type but he seems to be falling for this nerd anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I get it,” he says, desperate for a subject change. “My powers are dangerous, blah blah blah. But this is different, okay? It’s been going on for more than a month and I have no idea why. I don’t even feel that weird, like I did all those past times. I just feel…hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sounds lame, but that’s really the best explanation he could possibly give.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s reassuring,” Jisung says. “Are you going to tell Taeyong? I don’t think the fireproof charms he put on the house can take another beating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, that’s true. He should probably let Taeyong know. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Next week, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Donghyuck decides. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If it’s still like this next week, then I’ll let Taeyong know.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hate to interrupt this family drama,” Hendery cuts in. “But I think Kun is done with his phone call.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, shit. I better get back to work,” Yangyang says, scrambling to put his gloves back on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kun’s office is less of an office and more of a storage closet with a desk crammed inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet Titania,” Kun says, watching them all enter one by one. “How many of you are there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seven,” Chenle says. “We’ve got a newbie here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark scrambles to introduce himself. “Um, I’m Mark,” he says, extending his arm for a handshake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, no hands,” Kun apologizes, holding up both his hands to reveal intricate tattoos inscribed on his palms. “Wouldn’t want to accidentally bind you to a contract, you know? But it’s lovely to meet you, Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay” Mark says, dropping his arm back to his side. “It’s nice to meet you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So how big is this place, exactly?” Jaemin asks, peering around the room, narrow in space but with a seemingly endless ceiling. “Does it even have a roof?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” Kun explains. “My office is basically a pocket in the void that we’ve managed to suspend for personal uses. So is this entire building, actually. The ceiling in the shop is actually fake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No shit?” Donghyuck says. “That’s amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Kun smiles. “You should have Taeyong teach you about liminal spaces. Ours contracts and expands to fit whatever is inside, which is why this tiny room is able to contain all of us right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what you’re saying—” Chenle begins, “—is that we could fit a </span>
  <em>
    <span>thousand</span>
  </em>
  <span> people in here if we really wanted to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I’m hoping that’s never the case,” Kun laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so cool,” Jaemin comments. “It’s like the Room of Requirement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Room of Requirement?” Mark asks, adorably clueless as usual. “Is that another witch thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s from a book,” Donghyuck corrects. “Please tell me you’ve read Harry Potter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark turns to him, lips pressed in an apologetic line as he shakes his head. “Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Renjun gawks. “They’ve got Harry Potter in Canada, don’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do they?” Jeno asks. “The more I learn about Mark, the more fictional Canada seems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of fictional places, we have a question for you,” Donghyuck says, turning back to Kun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I was hoping that you came in here to do more than discuss Harry Potter,” Kun smiles. “What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We want to find Eden,” Donghyuck replies. “Is there a way to do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kun parts his lips in the softest gasps. “It’s been awhile since someone’s tried to go there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Mark says, his face falling slightly. “Is it not possible anymore?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s technically possible,” Kun amends. “It can actually be accessed from any fae territory, like this shop right here. You just need to broker a deal with a celestial. The deal could be anything, so don’t be dramatic and try to sign your life away. The only requirement is that one of the parties must be a celestial.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A celestial?” Jisung asks. “Like, an angel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Eden originally belonged to the angels, so in order to access it, you need the permission of one. Although—” Kun places a finger on his chin, deep in thought, “—I suppose a demon would work as well. They’re all composed of the same stock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, now we have to summon a demon,” Renjun groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m down if y’all are,” Jaemin grins. “We just need to steal the demonology book from Taeyong’s restricted library.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would not suggest stealing anything from Taeyong,” Kun interrupts. “Just come back here next week, when it’s almost Halloween.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Halloween?” Mark asks. “Why would that matter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least he knows what Halloween is,” Jeno mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Closer to Hallow’s Eve, a witch’s power grows exponentially,” Kun explains. “I’m no angel but the augmented magic of all of you combined might be able to work. Donghyuck should definitely come—” he sends him a pointed look, “—your connection with the Sun is the closest thing we have to celestial magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll show up,” Renjun agrees, clamping a hand down on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “We’ll make sure of it. Next week, you said?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kun leans back in his chair, mentally checking his calendar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he says. “Next week. Preferably a weekday. Thursday at eight? Don’t be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be late, got it,” Donghyuck echoes. “We’ll see you then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The antique shop is empty this time of day, sunlight dwindling in the distance as the night comes to life. The bell chimes as Mark pushes through the door, the rest of the boys following close behind with their drinks. A soft spoken boy named Dejun had handed it off to them after they left Kun’s office, colorful straws accompanying each one. Mark must admit, boba tastes fucking great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that wasn’t the disaster that I thought it would be,” Jeno says, entering with a relieved sort of sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What wasn’t a disaster?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark nearly breaks his neck with the speed he turns his head, staring straight into the eyes of Doyoung, who crosses his arms and raises a single eyebrow at the sight before him. Beside him are Jaehyun and Jungwoo, waving awkwardly as if to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>sorry, can’t help you here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm,” Mark says, searching for the right answer. Hopefully one that won’t incriminate him in front of his friends. “We tried a new boba place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see that,” Doyoung says, staring at the drink in his hand. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dealing with Doyoung has always been a different type of animal. Yes, Earth makes him soft but Doyoung is still Doyoung. His gaze is sharp, cuts right through Mark as he scrambles to reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I can do that,” he says, feeling sweat gather at the back of his neck. That’s another thing about Earth: humans just </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweat</span>
  </em>
  <span> so goddamn much. How they deal with it is well beyond him. Maybe by the end of all of this, he’ll finally learn how to put on some deodorant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” Doyoung asks, tapping his foot impatiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, this is Donghyuck,” Mark says. Lord, he forgot how terrifying Doyoung can be. “This Jaemin and Jisung—” he points at each of the boys in succession, “—that’s Renjun and Jeno. The one with orange hair is Chenle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What a crowd,” Doyoung says, muttering so low that if Mark wasn’t an angel, he would not have heard that at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, this is Doyoung,” Mark introduces. “He’s my— um, uncle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung’s eyebrows nearly fly off his forehead. Behind him, Jungwoo looks like he’s about to bust a gut from holding in his laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I am Mark’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>uncle,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Doyoung says, emphasizing the last two syllables like a punch in the face. “Pleasure to meet you all. Mark, I’ll talk to you later. Jaehyun and I are already late for dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He strides out the door, leaving behind an aggressive chime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that,” Jaehyun apologizes, flashing a dazzling smile as he follows Doyoung out. “That’s just how he is, so don’t worry too much about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he leaves too, disappearing through the door without so much as a single sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who was that beautiful man?” Jaemin demands, slamming both hands on the counter. “I need to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was Jaehyun,” Mark answers, relief flooding him in spades although he knows Doyoung will grill him later about what the fuck is going on. “Jaehyun is Doyoung’s, um—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Boyfriend,” Jungwoo supplies. “He’s Doyoung’s on-again off-again boyfriend. They’re very much together right now. It’s kind of complicated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Renjun says. “What a power couple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right?” Chenle agrees. “They make me feel like a trash bag.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should invite them to your birthday party,” Jungwoo suggests, laughter on the edge of his smile. “I’m sure it’ll be a great time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Birthday party?” Mark asks, something vague in the back of his mind telling him that such a thing is quite important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeno puts both hands on his hips. “Donghyuck, did you forget to invite Mark?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck!” Donghyuck wails. “I totally forget!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns around and puts his hands on Mark’s shoulders. Mark nearly gasps, the proximity making it very hard to breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mark,” Donghyuck says. “Are you free two weekends from now? Please tell me you are. I want you to come to my birthday party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On Halloween?” Mark realizes. “Your birthday is on Halloween?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it fits right?” Donghyuck laughs. “Me being a witch and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m invited?” Mark asks, pointing to himself. This is monumental. He’s never attended a birthday party before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Donghyuck replies. “There will be food and drinks, Like, alcohol and stuff. Adult-supervised, of course. Taeyong’s making a huge deal out of all of it. I’d really like you to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Mark says, unable to stop himself from turning slightly pink. “Of course. I would love to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Donghyuck says, breaking into a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Mark says, smiling back in return. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make him pinky promise!” Jisung proposes. “Prove his worth!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pinky promise?” Mark asks. “What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This,” Donghyuck answers, twists his pinky with Mark’s. “But us witches take it a step further. Do you want me to teach you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Mark says, still entranced by the softness of Donghyuck’s hand so close to his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, repeat after me,” Donghyuck instructs. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cross my heart and hope to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hear my truth and never lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hear my truth and never lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kiss!” Renjun shouts. “Kiss, or it won’t work!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kiss?” Mark chokes, face immediately going up in flames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not what you think,” Donghyuck grumbles, sporting a tiny blush of his own. “Like this—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He presses his thumb to Mark’s and warmth blooms in their palms, like a tether holding down the weight of his promise. Mark stares at their hands wide-eyed, unsure if it's magic or if it’s just Donghyuck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” Donghyuck smiles, detangling their fingers. “That’s a pinky promise. Now you have to keep your promise, or else—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or else what?” Mark asks, silently mourning their loss of Donghyuck’s hand in his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or you’ll die,” Donghyuck replies. “It’s in the incantation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hope to die. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Did you even listen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know!” Mark says, spluttering as the rest of the boys laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was unfair,” Jeno comments. “You didn’t clarify the rules of the contract.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, it’s fine,” Mark says, shaking out the lingering warmth in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Donghyuck asks. “I can nullify it if you really want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, let’s keep it. I don’t plan on breaking it anyways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s dark outside. The shop is empty, save for Jungwoo still wiping down the counter. The boys left an hour ago, with Mark trudging upstairs to go do some homework. It’s peaceful for once, something that Jungwoo does not often get to enjoy in a job like this. But then the door opens and Jungwoo looks up to greet a familiar face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Taeil says. “Got a moment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo beams. “For you, Taeil? Always.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sit at the table in the back room, two glasses of water between them, untouched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what’s the occasion?” Jungwoo asks, tracing his finger along the edge of his glass. “Here to buy another ugly teapot?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dear Morgana, no,” Taeil pales. “The one you gave me was </span>
  <em>
    <span>haunted.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not my problem,” Jungwoo shrugs. “Besides, spirits in the brew make the tea leaves more accurate, no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess,” Taeil grumbles. “Anyways, this is actually why I came.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reaches into his coat pocket and produces a cream-colored envelope, the paper smooth and gentle with swooping curls in its black ink words. Taeyong’s tasteful eye had picked it out, no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this?” Jungwoo asks, inspecting the envelopes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Invitations,” Taeil replies. “To Donghyuck’s birthday party. There’s one for you and Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo smiles shrewdly, as he always does when he thinks he’s got something figured out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see what you’re doing,” he says, his gaze turning sly. “Helping him fulfill his destiny, and all that dramatic jazz you witches like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeil just shakes his head. “Donghyuck’s only duty is to follow his heart. Whatever that may be, the Universe will move mountains just to make it happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like she’s done for Mark, right?” Jungwoo says, a twinkle in his eye. “You can’t fool me, Taeil. I’ve been working under Doyoung too long for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not trying to fool anyone,” Taeil smiles. “Simply a nudge in the right direction. You know I myself only realized the truth of things five years ago?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, your twentieth birthday,” Jungwoo laughs. “How could I forget? Your dreams were so loud that year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You dreamwalkers are dangerous,” Taeil remarks. “You could have anything you wanted with that power of yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jungwoo shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s tiring. I just want to be normal sometimes, you know? And I’m not the only one who wants that sort of thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not,” Taeil acknowledges. He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I have to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Jungwoo says, standing up. “Let me see you out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The front door opens soundlessly, the bell silent even as it bumps against the glass. Taeil pauses, one foot in the shop, one foot on the pavement outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you soon,” he says. “And pass that along to Mark, won’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” Jungwoo says, waving goodbye. “Mark will be there. He promised, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i know donghyuck's real bday is in june but for the sake of this fic just pls suspend your disbelief and go along with it when i say his birthday party is gonna be on halloween lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. tell me what you hate about me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>WHATEVER IT IS, I'M SORRY</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Holy mother of Sabrina, what is that smell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong looks up from his cauldron, straight into the inquisitive eyes of Jeno.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a cooling draught,” Taeyong explains, adding some minced garlic into the mix. “Donghyuck’s incessant complaining is getting too much for me, so I’ve decided to do something about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He works in silence for a bit, sprinkling in some red powder and a bit of salt. Jeno looks on curiously before opening his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do all advanced cooling draughts require—” he picks up a stained jar and reads off the label, “—extra fermented kimchi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Taeyong says, mixing the stew furiously. “It’s a vital ingredient. The most important, I dare say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” Jeno says, watching as Taeyong starts throwing in cubes of tofu. “Sure. Very important.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A couple more minutes go by before Taeyong finally caves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you got me,” he admits, ladling a tiny bit of the bright, red soup for a quick taste. “It’s kimchi jjigae. You wanna try some?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jeno answers immediately. If there’s one thing Taeyong’s better at than brewing potions, it’s cooking food. He’s usually too busy for this sort of thing, preoccupied with transcribing their magical ancient texts into a more readable language or prepping their lessons in advance. But every once in a while, when someone gets sick, he picks up the spatula and makes a meal that would put any restaurant to shame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Taeyong says, holding the spoon up to Jeno’s mouth. “Careful, it’s hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeno vaguely makes a noise that sounds like </span>
  <em>
    <span>hasafasha, </span>
  </em>
  <span>whatever that means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good,” he finally says after the soup has disappeared. “Really hot, and really spicy. I’m sure Donghyuck will love it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He better,” Taeyong mutters. “I had to fight an old lady for the last jar of kimchi at the supermarket. Savages, I tell you. How was I supposed to know there was a big sale today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s funny,” Jeno laughs, trying to imagine an old Korean grandmother initiating a showdown with Taeyong in the middle of the kimchi aisle. “Donghyuck will </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> love it if you tell him that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way, do you know where he is?” Taeyong says, frowning just a little. “I have a feeling he’ll be late for dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s with Mark, but I don’t know where they are,” Jeno replies. “Don’t you have a tracking spell on him anyways?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes! I do, don’t I?” Taeyong says, already reaching for his crystal ball. “It says here that they’re—” he squints a little at the quartz, “—at Kun’s bubble tea shop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, they did mention that they would be there after class today,” Jeno says, placing a thoughtful finger on his chin. “Something about educating Mark on the dos and don’t of ordering boba?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he better come home before you all obliterate this soup,” Taeyong gripes. “I made this just for him. His fever is getting worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That seems to alarm Jeno. “Is Donghyuck really that sick?” he asks. “The last time you cooked was when Jaemin got his memories back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, yes. After Jeno completely flubbed his confession and then accidentally erased Jaemin’s memories, Taeyong sent them on a wild goose chase through the library to try and locate a counterspell. And when they finally cast the right one to restore his last five years’ worth of memories, Jaemin had looked straight at Jeno, mumbled a strangled </span>
  <em>
    <span>aww Jeno, I like you too, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and then promptly passed out. When he finally awoke, his brain feeling like it was stuffed with cotton from the force of regaining his memories so quickly, Taeyong had carefully fed him a bowl of abalone porridge. Any leftover was devoured by the rest of the boys. Those were some good times. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> sick,” Taeyong clarifies. “His powers are just getting very strong. You know, the month before Taeil turned twenty, his body temperature was running at around thirty degrees celsius.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s…impossible,” Jeno gawks. “He shouldn’t even be alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he was the Moon witch,” Taeyong says, chuckling at the memory. “It all went away after his birthday, though. His powers and everything too. He’s just a normal witch now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see,” Jeno murmurs. “Is that going to happen to Donghyuck too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully!” Taeyong says, putting a lid over the cauldron. “If he makes the right decision, then it’ll all go away. He won’t be the Sun witch anymore, but he also won’t have to deal with all of </span>
  <em>
    <span>this—” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he makes a vague gesture with his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeno’s face scrunches in confusion. “The right decision? What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong puts down his spoon and turns to Jeno, clasping their hands together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Every sky witch has a choice to make when they turn twenty,” he explains, his eyes turning serious. “And the outcome of that choice will determine if they get to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If they get to— what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give up their powers,” Taeyong finishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeno gasps, ripping his hands from Taeyong’s grasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what if they don’t?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong’s expression turns sympathetic. “Honestly? I don’t really know. But my guess is that they’ll probably die. The human body isn’t built to withstand that kind of power for too long, even if they are a witch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does Donghyuck know this?” Jeno says, his mind running at a hundred kilometers per hour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Taeyong replies wistfully. “I’ve been trying to prepare him since the day he came to this coven. We can only hope that he makes the right choice when the time comes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the actual choice he has to make?” Jeno asks, his brain spinning with more questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s different for everyone,” Taeyong explains. “But when the time comes, they’ll know. They have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so…intense,” Jeno remarks. “You said Taeil had to make this choice too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did,” Taeyong nods. “Five years ago, Taeil had to make a similar choice. And thankfully, it was the right one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did he have to choose?” Jeno asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, at the time, we—”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Beep! Beep! Beep!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The noise startles Jeno, who jumps in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think that’s the rice cooker,” Taeyong says. “Do you mind getting it? I think dinner is almost ready to be served.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It starts off like a normal day. That itself should’ve already been a warning sign, because Ten is a demon and the very nature of his existence is not normal at all. But for the last two months, he’s been living like this— waking up at the same time every morning, having coffee with Johnny, and eating breakfast together. He’s practically drenched in the feeling of normalcy. And the scariest thing about it is that he doesn’t hate it at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around the one month mark, he expected to get bored. That’s what happens when he stays someplace for too long. He’ll get terribly bored and go back to Hell, or ask Jaehyun for an assignment transfer if he’s still up for some Tempting. And speaking of Tempting— sweet Satan, he hasn’t gone Tempting in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All he does these days is wait for Johnny to leave for work or class, then whip out his laptop and surf the internet for a couple hours, pretending that he’s “working from home”. Honestly, it’s a miracle that Johnny hasn’t yet realized he doesn’t have a real job. Well, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but it’s not one that a human would ever be able to understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng said he could cover for him for the time being, but Ten has always been sort of a workaholic and his body is beginning to feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird</span>
  </em>
  <span> now that he hasn’t seduced anyone for the last couple months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t?” Jaehyun gawked. They were sitting inside a cafe pretending to “do work”. Ten was browsing chef’s knives on Amazon while Jaehyun was busy Yelp-ing good Italian restaurants for Doyoung. What a fucking weirdo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I haven’t,” Ten hissed. “I haven’t fucked around in two whole months! I think my body is physically deteriorating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that’s just dramatic,” Jaehyun pointed out. “You’re not an incubus, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what you think,” Ten muttered. Jaehyun wouldn’t understand. That idiot has only managed to seduce one person in the last millenia and it happened to be a goddamn </span>
  <em>
    <span>angel.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is sort of pathetic, though,” Jaehyun commented with a lofty expression that absolutely pissed Ten off. “The whole point of this escapade— the Forbidden Fruit, you moving in with Johnny, the whole nine yards— was so that you could seduce him. Have you guys even kissed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten briefly considered lying to Jaehyun but eventually decided against it. It wasn’t from the goodness of his heart (he doesn’t have a heart) so much as it was from the knowledge that Jaehyun would be able to call him out in less than a second. Jaehyun may not be the brightest, but he does know how to expertly pick out a lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We haven’t kissed,” he confirmed. “We just have a very...comfortable relationship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys are roommates,” Jaehyun snorted. “How much more comfortable could it get?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten just shrugged, but the real answer to that question was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Back in Hell, he had his fair share of roommates, but obviously none of them were quite like Johnny. They weren’t quite as good-looking, first of all, and none of them were as caring or considerate or as funny as Johnny. Ten never cooked with any of his old roommates. They never went grocery shopping together and they certainly never binged any shitty TV shows with him. That’s all Johnny— who, Ten is slowly realizing, is probably a little more to him than just a roommate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you might want to figure that out,” Jaehyun said when Ten admitted this to him. “You got me running around like an idiot, stalking little angels, just so you can have a chance with this Johnny guy. You’d better make it worth it. Besides, aren’t you getting kind of bored?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he left, probably because he was late to a lunch date with Doyoung or something. Again, what a fucking weirdo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten thought that talking to Jaehyun would help him sort some things out but in reality, it made him more confused. Is he getting bored? No, the problem here is that he’s not bored at all. Not even that, he’s actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoying</span>
  </em>
  <span> himself. Isn’t that horrible? He’s reduced himself to such a mediocre life, cleaning the apartment when he notices that it’s gone a little dusty and indulging Johnny and his awful taste in niche craft beers, and he’s not even a little bit mad about it. In fact, Ten looks forward to it, always anticipating when Johnny comes back from his work shift with free food and yet another anecdote about snooty, entitled customers. When did things become like this? When did </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> become like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny lightly flicks him on the forehead, snapping him out of his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he says, teasing and light. “What are you thinking so hard about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm, nothing much,” Ten says, looking at the scene in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny’s got his mug of fancy pour over coffee. Ten himself opted for something more sweet - a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice which they picked up from the farmers’ market last weekend. They’ve each got half a bagel on their plates, Johnny’s plain with cream cheese while Ten fried an egg for his. This is so...disgustingly domestic. Yuta would absolutely cackle if he ever finds out that Ten has become someone who invests in a nutritious breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it must be stressing you out,” Johnny says, looking slightly worried. “Is everything okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Ten says with a reassuring smile. “Things at work are just getting kind of busy. I have a lot to think about these days, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Johnny nods, putting a warm, comforting hand on top of Ten’s. “You’re extremely independent and capable but I just— if you ever need anything, I’m always here, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten looks at him for a moment. Is this really happening right now? If he had a heart, it would be fucking pounding right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he finally says, smiling wider despite his inner turmoil. “I’ll let you know if you have to start worrying about me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Johnny says, smiling warmly before finishing the rest of his breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten eats slow today, still nursing half a plate of food when Johnny zips his coat up to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t wait up,” he says, haphazardly wrapping a scarf around his neck. “They assigned me a double shift, so I’ll be home super late. Eat dinner without me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what are you doing?” Ten mutters, hopping off his chair. “You’re going to get sick like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Johnny asks, confused as Ten gets close to him, reaching for his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your scarf,” Ten scolds. “You’re going to catch a cold if you don’t dress yourself properly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugs the knit scarf up to Johnny’s chin and smooths out the rest, tucking it neatly into the lapels of his coat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” he says, giving Johnny’s shoulders a satisfactory pat. “Now you’re ready to go out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I am,” Johnny says, grinning wide like the goof that he is. “Thank you, Ten. I’ll catch you later, alright? Love you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hey—” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ten splutters right as Johnny leaves and shuts the door in his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Love you too.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what about this?” Mark asks, holding up the cup and shaking it lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s strawberry kiwi tea with lychee jelly,” Yukhei explains. “Try it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark takes a sip and scrunches his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, maybe not,” he says, putting the drink down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about this one?” Yukhei tries, holding up yet another cup. “It’s mango green tea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Mark says, grabbing it before taking a sip. His expression sours. “Okay, maybe not that one either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> you he doesn’t like sweet things,” Donghyuck says, swiping the drink for himself. “What a waste. This stuff is so good too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you don’t like that one, it’s a fan favorite…” Yukhei mumbles, rubbing his chin like he’s deep in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, you should’ve just listened to me from the beginning,” Donghyuck lectures. “We wouldn’t have wasted so many drinks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you’re the one who told me to make one of everything on the menu!” Yukhei protests, holding up his hands like none of this is his fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you mean you guys told </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make one of everything on the menu?” Dejun huffs from behind the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck grins sweetly, the cute smile he uses when he wants to charm his way out of stuff. Mark will be the first to admit that he’s let that smile get away with more things than he should.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, come on, you guys,” he says, shamelessly sipping away at his fruit tea. “This was for purely educational purposes only. Right, Mark?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, right,” Mark agrees with uncertainty. It’s not like he really had a choice. They were studying for the upcoming Advanced Macroeconomics midterm when Donghyuck had finally decided he had enough, slammed down his textbook, and exclaimed,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t do this anymore! Mark, do you wanna ditch this shit and go get bubble tea at Kun’s?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire library stared at them in silence while Mark slowly perished from embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure?” he replied right as the librarian sauntered over to kick them out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So after that happened, it’s not like they really had anywhere else to go. Taeil’s was out of question and Mark didn’t really want to bother Jungwoo at the antique shop when it was during peak hours. Donghyuck had texted the group chat, but everyone seemed to be busy in one way or another. It was just the two of them again, doing stupid shit in the name of science.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mark, you’ve seriously never tried a cheese float before today?” Dejun asks, disbelief coloring his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s fucking insane,” Yangyang chimes. “Where are you from, fucking Antarctica?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm, Canada,” Mark says, laughing nervously. “I never got around to trying this stuff, I guess? I just never go out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll say,” Hendery remarks, crossing his arms. “Pretty sure they have boba over there in Canada. Anyways, are you going to pay for any of this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Nope!” Yukhei exclaims. “You guys are my friends and this is on the house!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awesome!” Donghyuck says, high-fiving Yukhei for good measure. “Thanks, Yukhei! Or Lucas? I don’t know what your actual name is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both are fine, I don’t care!” Lucas says, smiling brightly. “But if you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> my friend, you’ll call me </span>
  <em>
    <span>Xuxi.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Xuxi,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Donghyuck says, a mischievous look entering his eyes. “Is that what Renjun calls you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, can we keep it down?” Dejun hisses. “This is so unprofessional. What would our other customers say if they knew we were giving you all of </span>
  <em>
    <span>this—”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he points to the wide array of half-empty cups littered all over the counter, “—for free?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. </span>
  <em>
    <span>All</span>
  </em>
  <span> these customers are going to get angry, aren’t they?” Hendery says, sarcastically gesturing to the rest of the shop, which happens to be remarkably empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind Dejun,” Yangyang says. “He’s just cranky because he’s working a double shift until midnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we get an evening rush around ten,” Hendery explains. “It’s the fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You’d be surprised how angry people get when they don’t get their sugar within thirty seconds of ordering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys honestly came at a pretty good time,” Yangyang adds. “We’re never this empty. It’s kind of nice like this, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Totally,” Lucas agrees. “We should definitely do this again! You’ll come hang out with us, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles at Mark, vaguely resembling a dopey golden retriever. Mark is reminded of Renjun’s more aloof, catlike personality and suddenly, he gets it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You see that?” Donghyuck says, elbowing him lightly on the ribs. “They like you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That makes Mark smile. It’s nice, having friends. He’s never had this many friends before. He doesn’t know if he can let this all go when everything blows over. Just the thought makes him kind of sad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For sure,” he says. “I’d love to hang out with you guys again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, it’s a deal!” Lucas exclaims, extending his arm. “Bring it in, man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark extends his arm too, bracing for impact. He’s done this before, when Chenle taught him, back when he tried to initiate a handshake but Mark didn’t know what else to do except lightly tap his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chenle explained, showing him how to clasp their hands together. “See? Like that! A homie handshake. It’s cool and casual. Do they really not do this in Canada?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They probably do, but Mark is running out of excuses for why he knows jack shit about doing regular things. He’s okay now though, because he knows how to bring it in for a proper homie handshake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s only when their hands are fully clasped that Mark looks down and sees inky wisps traveling down Yukhei’s wrist, straight from his palms. It’s a tattoo with an intricate design. He’s seen those designs before, on Kun’s hands…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Yukhei,” he says. “When did you get those—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His train of thought is cut short when the shop begins to rumble, as if the foundation is being shattered by an earthquake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck is going on,” Dejun says. “Donghyuck, what are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing!” Donghyuck insists, throwing his arms up. “See? Look, nothing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything around them continues to shake. The tables rattle, drinks falling off the countertops and spilling liquid all over the floor. All the decorations hanging on the walls start dropping to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what the hell,” Yangyang says. “This is so wack. Those took me forever to hang up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the actual walls start to crack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whaaaat the fuck,” Hendery says, watching in disbelief as the building they’re in slowly disintergrates, the walls and ceiling disappearing into nothing. Above them is a clear, blue sky. Below them is green grass, soft and vibrant. There’s plants all around them, growing tall with colorful flowers. Surrounding them are fruit trees, substantial and ripe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on, guys?” Kun shouts, running toward them as if he’s coming from the shop’s back hallway. A hallway which no longer exists. “Yukhei, did you forget that you got hand tattoos over the weekend? Did you accidentally sign a contract—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He freezes, as if suddenly realizing where they are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What in Puck’s name…” he says, marveling at their surroundings. “Why the hell are we in Eden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mark thinks, withering so much that he might faint. They’re in the Garden of Eden. That would explain all the fruit trees. Great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yukhei, did you accidentally sign a contract with an </span>
  <em>
    <span>angel?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kun asks. Everyone gasps— everyone except Donghyuck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck just looks at Mark, his expression unreadable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mark,” he says. “You’re not from Canada, are you?”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s noticed that lately, Jaehyun has been treating him very— ah, what’s the word? Generously. He’s been treating Doyoung very </span>
  <em>
    <span>generously.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Don’t get him wrong, Jaehyun is always quite generous. He’s a demon after all. One snap of his fingers and he generally can get everything he wants right away. And even when he’s not using demon magic, doing things the slow and inconvenient way, he’s being generous too, because that’s what Doyoung prefers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But lately, he’s been </span>
  <em>
    <span>extra</span>
  </em>
  <span> generous. Going above and beyond in terms of niceness, like he’s always trying to top what he did last. At first, it was taking Doyoung to all his favorite places to eat and his favorite places to drink. And then he started taking him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>new</span>
  </em>
  <span> places, which Doyoung generally does not like but Jaehyun, who seems well-attuned to all of Doyoung’s likes and dislikes, has managed to bring him to pretty decent destinations half the time. And horrifyingly, Doyoung has started to enjoy it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What they’re doing now, though, is beyond something Doyoung could have ever imagined. And that’s saying something, because Doyoung is an angel. His people practically invented the concept of romance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re cruising the River Seine in Paris, sailing down the water as twilight surrounds them. Slowly, the city begins to become alive, its lights matching the stars twinkling in the sky above.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaehyun, what is this?” Doyoung asks, turning to his friend. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun just smiles, his dimples growing deep in the evening light. He’s gorgeous like this, all windswept hair and heartfelt glory. He’s the protagonist of any romance novel. Girls would swoon if they saw something like this. But only Doyoung knows the real truth— this man is a centuries old demon who is simply terrible at being bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Jaehyun asks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Doyoung says, looking out onto the water. “You’re trying to do something, I know it. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you always assume that I have some sort of ulterior motive?” Jaehyun grins. “Maybe I’m just trying to show you a good time before you finally leave for good. There’s a lot to see on Earth and I think it would be a shame if you left without experiencing it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung throws his head back in laughter, the noise drowned out by the wind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see,” he says. “We’re just having good fun, aren’t we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Jaehyun says amiably. “It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung has to agree. He’s never really taken these superficial things seriously, but maybe the humans were onto something. Maybe there was just something about Paris at night that was more different than the rest. Whatever it is, he’ll allow himself to enjoy it just this once, with a loyal friend who’s been with him for nearly an entire millenia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment is duly broken by the sound of a ringing cell phone. It’s Doyoung’s, which means he should probably answer it. There’s only a handful of individuals in this universe who know his number, and they would only call if this was urgent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” he says, pressing the phone to his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung, you have to come back,” Jungwoo says. “It’s Mark.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung’s expression falls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he replies. “Hang on, I’ll be there soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns to Jaehyun, pocketing his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go,” he sighs. “It’s Mark—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll come with,” Jaehyun says. “We’ll apparate there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Doyoung says. “Look, Jaehyun. I’m sorry about all this. Everything was just so lovely but—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say sorry,” Jaehyun smiles. “I did it because I wanted to. Now let’s go take care of Mark, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung smiles back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where is he?” Doyoung asks the moment they’ve apparated into the shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Upstairs,” Jungwoo answers. “He went to sleep right after he came back and told me what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it anything bad?” Jaehyun says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not terrible,” Jungwoo replies. “But he accidentally opened up the gates to Eden and exposed himself in the process.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To who?” Doyoung asks, fearing the worst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just some fae and also— Donghyuck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Doyoung says, sympathy bleeding into his tone. “He probably isn’t feeling too good about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He isn’t,” Jungwoo says, shaking his head. “He’ll probably wake up in a bit. I can’t imagine he’s going to sleep well tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can go home now that I’m here,” Doyoung says, patting Jungwoo gently on the shoulder. “It’s getting quite late. Do you want me to apparate you back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay!” Jungwoo says, adjusting the straps of his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Just make sure Mark is alright. I worry for him sometimes, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know,” Doyoung mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m off!” Jungwoo announces. “I’ll see you guys later. Bye, Jaehyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye,” Jaehyun murmurs, watching as Jungwoo soundlessly exits through the door of the shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns to Doyoung once it’s quiet again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung,” he says. “I think you owe me an explanation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose I do,” Doyoung sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me,” Jaehyun begins. “Why did Youngho really Fall?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lmaoooooo i'm finally back with an update on this. better late than never, right? i knew that the longer i waited, the harder it would be for me to finish this so I figured i would try to wrap this up before 2020 ends. no promises but the end is near!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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